THE 


U.N  V.E?.S!T,Y  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SAN  DIEGO 


3  182202502  9984 


STARTLING  EXPLOITS 


1 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SAN  DIEGO 


3  1822025029984 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS 


OF 


DR.  J.  B.  QUIES 


FROM:   THE    FRENCH 


PAUL   CELIERE 

BY 

MRS.  CASHEL  HOEY  AND  MR.  JOHN  LILLIE 


WITH    120   ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW    YORK 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS,   FRANKLIN    SQUARE 
1887 


Copyright,  1886,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 


All  right  reserved. 


THIS  book  is  only  a  flight  of  fancy.  I  have  not  written 
it  for  the  purpose  of  enlarging  the  horizon  of  thought, 
astonishing  the  world,  or  shaking  the  foundations  of  the 
social  edifice. 

Neither  have  I  conceived  the  notion  of  adding  any- 
thing to  the  sum  of  human  knowledge  ;  but,  although  no 
instruction  of  a  scientific,  industrial,  or  moral  character  is 
to  be  obtained  from  these  startling  exploits,  they  are 
perfectly  inoffensive. 

That  I  shall  not  be  suspected  of  desiring  to  turn  science 
and  savants  into  ridicule,  I  feel  assured.  I  ardently  ad- 
mire the  former,  I  profoundly  respect  the  latter,  and  I 
protest  that  I  have  not  for  one  moment  entertained  an 
idea  of  assailing  the  rightful  position  of  either. 

Bearing  in  mind  that  it  has  been  well  said  of  books, 
"  Every  kind  is  good  except  the  tiresome  kind,"  I  have 
written  my  book  with  a  simple-minded  intention  to  avoid 
boring  my  readers. 

P.  C. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  "  Follow  your  cattle !" i 

II.  ??? I2 

III.  Showing  how  Jean  Baptistin  Quies  had  displayed  extra- 

ordinary aptitude  for  the  natural  sciences  from  his 
earliest  childhood 13 

IV.  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes 23 

V.  How  and  why  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  having  ascertained  that 

a  man-servant  was  indispensable  to  him,  engaged 
one  at  noon  and  gave  him  a  week's  notice  at  a 
quarter  to  one  o'clock  ......  32 

VI.  Proving  that  if  twenty  little  rivulets  make  a  big  river,  a 

thousand  pin-pricks  are  equal  to  a  sword-thrust       .  42 

VII.  A  grain  of  sand  in  a  watch       .         .         .         .         .         -49 

VIII.  Attila,  Attila,  pour  sura  passe  par  la.    (Well-known  air.)  60 

IX.  Dijon  ! — five  minutes  ! 67 

X.  A  gale 75 

XI.  In  which  Dr.  Quies  takes  an  irrevocable  determination  .  82 

XII.  In  which  Commandant  La  Carriole  departs  on  a  horse 

and  returns  on  a  mule       ......       89 

XIII.  Treats  of  the   events  which   led   to   Dr  J.  B.  Quies' 

having  made  an  additional  journey  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-eight  kilometers 100 

XIV.  In  which  it  will  be  made  evident  that  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies 

was  very  wrong  to  have  pigeons  stewed  which  ought 

to  have  been  roasted 1 1 1 

XV.  Mademoiselle    Haydee  ' 122 

XVI.  In  which  Dr.  Quies  rides  on  horseback  for  the  first  time 

in  his  life '31 

XVI I      Treats  of  the  probable  death  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  and  that 

which  ensued  upon  it 145 

XVIII.  In  the  desert '59 

XIX.  The  projects  of  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl        .        .        .        .167 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP. 

PAGE 

XX. 

Showing  how  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  began  his  great  work  on 

the  unexplored  territories  of  Central  Africa  . 

I85 

XXI. 

Shows  that  if  crime  is  sometimes  punished,  virtue   is 

not  invariably  rewarded         ..... 

198 

XXII. 

C3D    

212 

XXIII. 

A  shot  in  an  ant-hill      

227 

XXIV. 

In  which  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  infinitely  regrets  that  he  had 

not   arrived    a  week   later  at   Saint- Pignon  les 
Girouettes 238 

XXV.  Showing  how  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  having  slept  from  Paris 

to  Vienna,  and  from  Vienna  to  Pesth,  snored  from 
Pesth  to  Turn-Severin 251 

XXVI.  Showing  in  what  manner  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  and   M. 

Bonamy  had  it  proved  to  them,  to  their  cost,  that 

it  is  sometimes  well  to  be  modest          .        .        .     264 

XXVII.  Treats  of  the  imprudence  of  anger,  and  the  utility  of 

bits  of  string  ........     277 

XXVIII.  Shows  that  what  did  happen  would  not  have  happened 

if  Dr.  Quies  had  weighed  fifty  pounds  less     .         .     288 

XXIX.  De  profundis  clamavi  ad  te,  Domine    ....     299 

XXX.  From  three  take  one — two  remain        ....     308 

XXXI.  In  which  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  arrives  just  in  time  to  reap 

the  fruits  of  his  remarkable  adventures         .        .317 

XXXII.  Conclusion 327 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


"  Ah  !  how  long  a  whole  minute  is  ! " i 

"  Look  sharp,  there,"  said  one  of  the  workmen,  "  follow  your 

cattle ! "      .         .        .        .        . 3 

"  It's  a  mistake,  I  tell  you  ;  it's  a  mistake  !  "        .         .        .        .        7 

He  hauled  the  doctor  across  the  plank         .         .         .         .         .         8 

He  fell  senseless  upon  the  cabin  floor  .        .        .        .•  .10 

Jean  Baptistin  uttered  dismal  cries       .        »    .  ..        .         .         .14 

An  army  of  ants    .         .         ...         .         .,        .         .         .17 

"  What  are  you  crying  for  ?" 21 

Saint- Pignon  les  Girouettes  .       ,.,...-.         .         .         .       26 

Madame  Ragot  and  her  daughters        ..       .        .        .        .        .       28 

"  It's  half-past  eleven,  sir ! "         .        .        .        .        .        .        -35 

"Ha!  it  seems  that  Monsieur  has  travelled  "       .        ,        .        -37 
"  I  dismiss  you  with  your  week's  wages"  .'  .         .40 

M.  Bonamy  stalked  majestically  into  his  study     ....       43 

M.  Bonamy  passed  his  fingers  through  his  hair,  and  wrote .         .       47 

M.  de  Prechafoin  .        . 56 

The  departure  of  Dr.  Quies  .         .        ...        .  .         -58 

Commandant  La  Carriole  .  •  •  .  .  ,  .  .60 
He  had  to  be  extracted  from  his  ambulatory  prison  ...  62 
The  christening  of  the  little  Vernet  La  Carriole  ....  65 

"  I  will  be  with  you  in  a  moment  "  69 

The  bench  reared  itself  up,  and  bellowed 72 

Wedging  himself  in  between  two  bullocks 74 

Dr.  Quies'  breakfast 76 

"  Mind  what  you're  about,  you  fool ! ;' 80 

He  was  now  merely  an  inanimate  bundle 81 

"  What  do  you  intend  to  do  ?  " 83 

Algiers 84 

"  How  much  did  you  weigh  at  Saint-Pignon?"    ....      87 

Me"de"ah 90 

Chiffa  Gorge 91 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


His  horse  came  headlong  down 95 

It  was  a  mule  !  A  mule  saddled  and  bridled  ....  97 

It  was  Dr.  Quies  who  entered  the  room 99 

"  If  this  fellow  thinks  I  am  going  to  be  done  by  him  !  "  .  .  102 

"  There  he  is,  M.  Salomon  " 107 

From  Me"deah  to  Boghar  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  109 

'' Make  a  stew  of  them,  of  course  " 113 

Provided  himself  with  an  old  umbrella,  and  started  .  .  .  115 

The  ground  gave  way  beneath  his  tread 117 

"Eh!  it's  the  old  lunatic  from  yonder  !  " 120 

He  emerged  from  the  straw  like  a  "  Jack-in-the-box  "  .  .  .123 
It  half-opened  its  jaws,  and  uttered  a  roar  of  satisfaction  .  .127 

Familiarity  of  Mdlle.  Haydee 129 

He  had  been  seen  to  set  out  at  a  gallop  .  •  .  .  .  .132 

J.  B.  Quies  writing  his  last  will 138 

The  departure  of  the  caravan 140 

The  encampment  .  . 142 

La  Carriole  and  Henri  placed  themselves  at  the  head  of  the  hunt  143 

The  searchers  had  found  a  note-book 147 

The  funeral  oration 151 

"  The  usufruct !  What  should  I  do  with  your  usufruct  ?  "  .  .  153 
"  That  three  hundred  thousand  francs  is  a  large  sum  to  disburse  "  1 56 

The  ostrich  sped  on  and  on  ! 161 

The  ostrich  suddenly  dropped  beneath  him 165 

"  Where  can  I  be  ?  and  who  are  these  people?  "  .  .  .  .  168 
The  Arab  sent  a  puff  of  smoke  in  his  direction  .  .  .  .169 

Sir  Thomas  Nicholl 171 

Two  negroes  laid  hands  on  the  doctor  .  .  .  •  .  .  .  173 
"  I  have  the  honour  of  introducing  to  you  Dr.  Quies  "  .  .  .  176 
Quies  stood  with  uplifted  eyes  and  open  mouth  .  .  .  .180 

The  doctor  uttered  a  piercing  cry 184 

"  One  idea  that  besets  me  " 187 

"  A  cry  of  despair  was  forced  from  me  "  .192 

"  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  was  gazing  upon  a  vast  expanse  of 

yellowish  sea  ".....•••••  194 
"  I  made  a  last,  a  supreme  effort,  and  instead  of  the  cry  which  I 

strove  to  utter,  I  heard  two  !  " 196 

And  flung  herself  upon  the  brutal  soldier 202 

Dr.  Quies,  in  a  transport  of  rage,  put  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder  and 

fired 203 

Magloire,  arriving  in  the  nick  of  time,  struck  up  the  weapon  .  205 

Khartoum 207 

Four  soldiers  entered .  .210 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS.  xi 


From  Khartoum  to  Cairo 2I- 

Alexandria     .........  2m 

Captain  Poggenbeck 22, 

"  Captain,  we  are  raising  the  anchor  " 2->r 

A  sculptor  was  set  to  work -,*,% 

Reading  the  despatch  of  Quies  at  the  Cafe"  de  la  Come'die  .  .     229 

The  great  news  was  spread  throughout  the  town          .         .  .     230 
At  the  word  "swindle"  Mdme.  Ragot  jumped  up         ...     235 


Alive  !  he  is  alive  ! 


241 

Gertrude  threw  herself  into  his  arms     ......  245 

Quies  looked  with  half-dazed  dread  at  the  crowd          .         .         .  249 

"  The  beer  at  the  refreshment-room  is  very  good  "        .         .         .  254 

Karl  Bninner         .         .         .  -     >        .         .         .         .         .         .  260 

He  stood  up  on  a  chair,  and,  with  eyes  aflame,  addressed  the 

company     .         .         .         .         . 261 

He  fell  soundly  asleep  .         .         .                 .         .         .     -    .         .  262 

They  all  set  to  work,  bent  double,  to  seek  for  the  lost  instrument  266 

Magloire  put  the  horn  mechanically  to  his  lips    .         .  •                .  273 

The  "  Capricorn "  abandoned  to  itself .        .        .        . '               .  275 

"  You  want  to  bring  about  my  death  !  "        .         .         .         .         .  279 

Quies  exerted  himself  so  effectually  that  the  rope  broke        .         .281 

He  succeeded  in  fastening  the  rope       ......  286 

He  peered  downwards  at  the  two  natives      .                  .         .         .  289 

The  ''  Capricorn  "  rose  suddenly  into  the  air        ....  290" 

Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  dined  on  three  dozen  raw  mussels       .         .         .  294 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  M.  Bonamy,  losing  patience    .         .         .  295 

Dr.  Quies,  now  quite  worn  out,  slept  profoundly  ....  297 

The  wreck  of  the  "  Capricorn "               .         .         .         .         .         .  301 

The  balloon  floated  upon  the  waves 302 

Magloire  gave  the  boat  a  vigorous  push 311 

Magloire  summoned  up  strength  to  light  a  fire     ....  313 

Arrival  of  Dr.  Quies  and  Magloire  at  Saint-Pignon       .         .         .  318 
Gertrude  fell  into  a  swoon     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         -319 

Dr.  Quies  speaks  in  person 321 

Except  his  cousin  Mdme.  Ragot,  who  had  also  fallen  into  a  swoon  324 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS 

OF 

DR.   J.    B.   QUIES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FOLLOW   YOUR   CATTLE  !  " 


NO  doubt  you  have  more  than  once  in  your  life  closely 

observed  the  minute  hand  of  a  clock.     It  does  not  appear 

to  move.     The  monotonous  swing  of  the  pendulum  is  the 

sole  indication  of  the  march 

of  time.     You  reckon  it  off 

— tic,  tac,  tic,  tac  ;  you  go 

on    reckoning  ;     still     the 

slender    pointing     dart    is 

motionless,  but  at  the  end 

of  a  period  which  appears 

to     you     endless,     it     has 

travelled  over  one   of  the 

little  spaces  marked  upon 

the  dial. 

"  Ah  !  "  you  say,  "  how 
long  a  whole  minute  is  !  " 

Then  you  turn  to  your 
work  again,  and  when  you 
are  no  longer  looking  at  it 
the  minute  hand  goes  at  a 
gallop.  You  have  hardly 
begun  before  it  has  passed 
over  five  of  the  little 


spaces. 

"  Dear     me,"    you     say, 
"how  short  ten  whole  minutes  are!" 


'  Ah  !  how  long  a  whole  minute  is  J  " 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


Now,  you  were  wrong  in  the  first  instance,  and  you  are 
wrong  in  the  second.  One  minute  is  very  short,  ten  minutes 
mean  much.  Ten  minutes  suffice  to  endanger  the  fate  of 
empires,  and  to  change  the  face  of  the  world.  Ruin  or 
success,  happiness  or  misery,  may  depend  on  ten  minutes. 
Nay,  that  brief  space  may  shape  the  whole  of  a  lifetime. 

Experience  has  often  proved  this  truth,  which  is  indeed 
a  truism  ;  nevertheless,  we  are  about  to  demonstrate  it  once 
more  by  an  example. 

On  the  28th  of  September,  1874,  the  train  from  Paris, 
which  was  due  at  Marseilles  at  a  quarter-past  nine  in  the 
evening,  arrived  ten  minutes  late.  The  train  next  in  order 
was  timed  to  enter  the  station  at  thirty -two  minutes  past 
nine,  so  that  there  was  an  interval  of  seven  minutes  only 
in  which  the  passengers  had  to  get  out  of  the  compart- 
ments, luggage  out  of  the  vans,  and  the  defaulting  train 
out  of  the  way.  Of  course  the  trunks  and  boxes  were 
mercilessly  knocked  about,  and  any  travellers  who  had 
glass  or  china  among  their  impedimenta,  arrived  at  home 
with  their  property  in  fragments. 

How  could  it  be  helped  !     Ten  minutes  after  time  ! 

The  travellers,  knocked  about  like  their  belongings  by  the 
guard  and  the  station-master,  had  hurriedly  got  out  of  the 
train,  and  were  making  for  the  exit,  but  two  receptacles 
were  still  full.  Their  occupants  had  been  unable  to  open  the 
doors* 

Why  ?  Because  these  travellers  were  not  men,  but 
beasts  ;  magnificent  specimens  of  the  Hungarian  variety  of 
the  bovine  species,  sent  by  Karl  Briinner,  an  agriculturist 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Pesth,  to  M.  Lemoine,  an  agri- 
culturist at  Medeah,  who  purposed  to  acclimatize  that  par- 
ticular breed  in  Algeria. 

"  Deuce  take  the  cattle ! "  Thus  spoke  the  station- 
master.  "  They  will  have  us  late.  Get  them  out  !  Get 
them  out  ! " 

The  bolts  were  shot  back,  the  sliding  sides  of  the  cattle 
vans  were  removed,  and  the  four-footed  travellers  were 


'  Look  sharp,  there,"  said  one  of  the  workmen ;  "  follow  your  cattle  !" 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.    .  £ 

apprised  by  heavy  strokes  of  a  driver's  whip  that  they  had 
reached  their  destination.  One  after  the  other  the  Hun- 
garian exiles  shuffled  awkwardly  out  of  the  vans.  This 
operation  was  not  effected  without  some  difficulty,  but  it 
was  still  worse  when,  after  the  horned  beasts  had  been  got 
out,  it  came  to  the  turn  of  the  man  who  was,  or  seemed  to 
be,  in  charge  of  them. 

The  poor  fellow's  legs  were  bending  under  him  ;  he  was 
breathing  so  hard  that  it  was  pitiable  to  hear  him,  and  his 
strength  seemed  to  be  completely  exhausted. 

"  Look  sharp,  there,"  said  one  of  the  workmen  ;  "  follow 
your  cattle." 

The  person  addressed  did  not  appear  to  understand  what 
was  said  to  him. 

Ah !  those  ten  minutes  after  time  ! 

Had  it  not  been  for  those  ten  minutes,  by  which  they 
were  harassed  and  driven,  the  station-master,  the  guard, 
and  the  workmen,  everybody  in  short,  would  have  perceived 
that  the  man  who  had  just  been  extracted  from  the  van 
had  nothing  of  the  Hungarian  about  him.  although  he  had 
a  cap  of  Astrakan  wool  on  his  head,  and  he  wore  a  great 
coat  of  coarse  cloth  with  a  curious  pattern  on  it,  about 
which  there  was  a  certain  local  colour.  But  it  was  plain  that 
the  cap  had  not  been  made  for  his  head  ;  it  came  down 
below  his  ears,  and  the  great  coat  must  have  belonged  to  a 
man  six  feet  high,  while  its  present  wearer  was  little  over 
five.  This  singular  garment  trailed  behind  the  heels  of  its 
accidental  proprietor,  and  made  him  look  like  a  mounte- 
bank magician. 

Nor  was  that  all.  The  blind  themselves  might  have  seen 
that  never— no,  never- was  such  "a  fair,  round  belly,"  legs 
so  short,  and  face  so  chubby  and  ruddy,  to  be  found  under 
the  coat  and  cap  of  a  driver  of  Hungarian  cattle. 

But  there  was  no  time  to  look  at  the  man  ! 

Ten  minutes  late  ! 

"  Follow  your  cattle  ! '' 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,"  said  the  person  thus  roughly  apostro- 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


phized,  in  a  voice  hardly  audible  from  fatigue  and  emotion, 
"  my  name  is  Quies — " 

"  What  is  that  to  me  ?  " 

"  Doctor  Jean  Baptistin  Quies." 

"  All  right,  follow  your  cattle." 

"  But  I  don't  know  anything  about  the  cattle !  I  am  the 
victim  of  a  deplorable  fatality,  an  inexplicable  error." 

"  Follow  your  cattle,  I  tell  you  !  " 

Thereupon,  the  workmen,  who  had  not  heard  a  word  of  this 
heart-rending  protest,  hustled  the  unfortunate  man — whom 
we  shall  henceforth  call  Doctor  Quies,  since  he  has  just 
asserted  that  Dr.  Quies  is  his  name — into  the  midst  of  the 
herd  of  horned  beasts. 

A  stinging  lash  impartially  distributed  started  the  animals 
at  a  heavy  trot,  and  their  involuntary  keeper,  squeezed 
up  in  the  midst  of  them,  was  also  obliged,  whether  he  would 
or  not,  to  go  at  a  trot.  That  he  was  equally  averse  and 
unaccustomed  to  any  such  rate  of  progress,  was  abundantly 
indicated  by  his  frantic  gestures,  his  staring  eyes,  and  his 
loud  protest : — 

"  It's  a  mistake,  I  tell  you  ;  it's  a  mistake !  " 

No  doubt  his  voice  acted  as  an  additional  stimulant  to 
exertion  on  the  part  of  Herr  Karl  Briinner  s  bovine  speci- 
mens, for  the  more  he  shouted  the  more  they  bellowed,  and 
the  beseeching  tones  of  the  poor  doctor  were  lost  in  the 
noise.  The  whole  herd,  beasts  and  men,  were  turned  out  of 
the  station,  and  their  course  was  directed  towards  the 
quay.  The  Triton,  a  fine  steamer,  on  which  the  Hun- 
garian exiles  were  to  be  embarked  for  Algeria,  was  moored 
alongside. 

There,  in  a  place  like  a  barn,  amid  piles  of  bales  and 
merchandise  of  every  kind,  sat  an  official  whose  special 
duty  it  was  to  register  all  the  consignments  previous  to 
lading,  and  to  receive  the  dues  if  any  there  were. 

The  railway  clerk  called  out :  "  Eight  bullocks,  six  cows 
and  their  driver." 

At  the  word  "driver,"  Quies  sprang  forward,  collected 


DR.   J.    B.    QUltS.  7 

all  the  breath  he  could  muster,  and  addressed  the  official 
sitting  at  the  table, — 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  my  name  is  Jean  Baptistin  Quies,  and 
I  live  at  Saint-Pignon,  in  the  Department  of—" 

"  What  is  that  to  me  ?  " 


"  It's  a  mistake,  I  tell  you;  it's  a  mistake  !" 

"  No  doubt,  sir,  a  matter  of  indifference  ;  but  it  is  quite 
otherwise  to  me.  Here  I  am  mixed  up  with—" 

"  All  right  !     Follow  your  cattle  !  " 

Doctor  Quies  made  a  last  attempt  to  secure  a  hearing. 
The  man  at  the  table  had  got  up  and  gone  away,  and  the  only 
person  now  remaining  was  the  railway  clerk.  That  official, 
addressing  the  sailor  charged  with  the  superintendence  of 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


the  shipping  of  the  cattle,  in  the  dialect  of  Provence,  told 
him  to  look  after  the  Hungarian  peasant,  their  driver. 

The  sailor  accordingly  took  Doctor  Quies  by  the  arm, 
and  promptly  dragged  him  across  the  plank  which  led 
from  the  quay  to  the  steamer. 


He  hauled  the  doctor  across  the  plank. 

Anybody  who  has  seen  an  ass  refuse  to  ford  a  river  (in 
this  comparison  let  nobody  detect  a  latent  sneer  at  our 
hero)  may  form  an  exact  idea  of  the  attitude  assumed  by 
Doctor  Quies  at  the  moment  when  he  had  to  cross  the 
plank.  He  planted  himself  upon  his  widely-severed  legs 
and  resolutely  exclaimed, — 


DR.   J.    B.    QUlfcS.  9 

''  Never,  never  !     There  is  a  mistake  of  identity  !  " 

The  sailor,  however,  simply  obeyed  orders.  He  promptly 
hauled  the  doctor  across  the  plank  and  flung  him,  half 
dead,  into  a  cabin,  and  also  into  the  presence  of  the 
ship's  clerk.  This  functionary  was  a  little  man  with  a 
foolish  face,  and  eyes  devoid  of  expression.  He  wore  a 
cap  with  a  gold  band,  and  a  tunic  similarly  adorned  ;  and 
as  he  sat  upright  and  motionless  on  his  chair,  he  looked 
like  one  of  the  waxen  images  which  are  to  be  seen  outside 
travelling  anatomical  museums  at  country  fairs.  He  raised 
his  eyes,  looked  at  Quies,  produced  the  barest  outline  of  a 
smile,  and  bent  his  head  over  a  sheet  of  figures  as  he 
said, — 

"  Well,  what  is  it  ?  " 

The  doctor  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief,  thanked  God  from 
the  bottom  of  his  heart,  and  took  a  chair. 

The  clerk  made  no  sign. 

"  Here,  at  all  events,"  thought  Quies,  "  is  a  person  who 
will  listen  to  me,  and  perhaps  furnish  me  with  the  means 
of  returning  to  Saint-Pignon." 

Then  he  said  very  distinctly, — 

"  My  name,  sir,  is  Jean  Baptistin  Quies,  of  Saint-Pignon 
— doctor  Quies  !  " 

"  Ah  !  " 

"•  You  know  me  by  name  ?  So  much  the  better,  for 
I  need  not  now  tell  you  that  I  do  not  understand  anything 
that  is  happening  to  me  at  this — " 

"  Oh  !  " 

"  I  am  quite  unable  to  account  for  having  awoke  and 
found  myself — after  I  had  left  Plessis,  in  the  Department 
of  Seine-et-Marne,  where  I  had  gone  to  stand  godfather  to 
the  son  of  my  good  friend,  Commandant  La  Carriole — in 
the  middle  of  Provence,  and  in  the  corner  of  a  van  full  of 
horned  beasts." 

"Ah!" 

"  The  most  unpleasant  part  of  this  matter,  sir,  is  that  I 
have  no  money I  venture  to  think  that  you  will 


10 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


enable  me  to  return  to  my  home.  Serious  interests  are  at 
stake." 

"  Oh  !  " 

"  Yes,  sir !  Yes,  indeed.  In  the  first  place,  I  have  to 
read  an  important  paper  before  M.  de  Prechafoin,  and 
his  learned  colleagues  of  the  Geographical,  Numismatical 
and  Archaeological  Society." 

"  Ah ! " 


He  fell  senseless  upon  the  cabin  floor. 

"  And  besides,  I  have  to  finish  a  very  interesting  match 
against  M.  Poggenbeck,  of  Haarlem." 

"  Oh  !  " 

"  I  also  acknowledge,  sir,  that  I  am  not  accustomed  to 
travelling.  I  am  a  stay-at-home.  I  shall  be  overjoyed 
again  to  see  my  house,  my  garden,  and  my  bed  !  One 
more  day  of  similar  tribulation,  and  I  should  not  survive 
it,  I  feel  sure." 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfeS. 


II 


"Ah!" 

During  the  whole  of  the  doctor's  impassioned  address 
the  clerk  had  gone  steadily  on  with  his  sum  in  addition  ; 
he  now  laid  aside  his  pen,  looked  at  Quies  with  his  outline 
of  a  smile,  and  said, — 

"  All  right,  my  good  fellow,  we  shall  try  to  settle  this 
matter.  Follow  your  cattle  !  " 

The  worthy  clerk  had  been  deaf  for  ten  years  past  ; 
but  during  the  whole  of  that  time  he  had  confidently 
asserted  that  he  heard  every  word  which  was  said  to 
him. 

Quies  had  not  time  to  seek  an  explanation  of  the  strange 
answer  he  had  received.  Those  three  words,  "  Follow 
your  cattle!  "  had  affected  him  as  a  blow  from  a  hammer 
upon  his  head  might  have  done.  The  poor  remnant  of 
strength  and  courage  forsook  him  in  an  instant,  and  he  fell 
senseless  upon  the  cabin  floor. 


•jwpwrr.-. 


12  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  II. 

IN  all  France,  including  her  colonies,  there  existed  at  that 
time— within  a  few  thousands  more  or  less — sixty-seven 
thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-eight  doctors  ;  doctors 
of  letters,  doctors  of  science,  doctors  of  law,  theology  and 
medicine,  and  doctors  who  were  not  anything  of  the  kind. 

What  place  did  Doctor  J.  B.  Quies  hold  among  this 
number  ? 

What  was  his  speciality  ? 

What  was  his  aim  ?     What  did  he  do  ? 

What  had  he  written  ;  or  what  did  he  propose  to  write  ? 

Where  did  he  live  ;  and  what  was  his  manner  of  life  ? 

Where  was  Saint- Pignon,  his  alleged  place  of  residence, 
to  be  found  ? 

What  was  the  subject  of  the  remarkable  paper  which  he 
proposed  to  read  before  M.  de  Prechafoin  ? 

Who,  and  what  was  this  M.  de  Prechafoin  ? 

Who  was  that  Commandant  La  Carriole,  to  whose  little 
son  the  doctor  had,  as  he  asserted,  stood  godfather  ? 

What  was  the  subject  of  the  match  with  M.  Poggenbeck, 
of  Haarlem  ? 

Why  did  Doctor  J.  B.  Quies  wear  an  Astrakan  cap  on 
his  head,  and  a  Hungarian  great-coat  on  his  back  ? 

What  were  the  events  that  had  led  to  his  arriving  at 
Marseilles,  involuntarily,  if  his  own  statement  is  to  be 
believed,  in  company  with  several  head  of  cattle  belonging 
to  Herr  Karl  Brunner,  of  Pesth  ? 

We  propose  to  answer  all  these  questions,  and  many 
others,  in  the  third  and  following  chapters. 


DR.  J.   B.   QUIES.  13 


CHAPTER  III. 

SHOWING  HOW  JEAN  BAPTISTIN  QUIES  HAD  DISPLAYED 
EXTRAORDINARY  APTITUDE  FOR  THE  NATURAL 
SCIENCES  FROM  HIS  EARLIEST  CHILDHOOD. 

IT  will  be  generally  acknowledged  that  it  would  be  foolish 
to  seek  in  a  name  the  qualities,  faults,  and  proclivities  of 
the  person  who  bears  it ;  yet  it  must  be  admitted  that 
chance  takes  strange  whims  sometimes,  and  thinks  fit  to 
label  human  beings  after  the  fashion  of  apothecaries,  who 
label  their  phials  so  that  there  may  be  no  mistake  about 
their  contents.  Of  a  surety  chance  made  a  lucky  hit  on 
the  day  when  it  decreed  that  the  hero  of  the  adventures 
which  we  are  about  to  relate  was  to  be  the  son  of  a  father 
whose  name  was  Quies.  If  we  open  Quicherat's  "  Dic- 
tionnaire  Latin-Fra^ais,"  we  shall  find  therein,  Quies,  s.f, 
repos ;  and  the  chief  characteristic  of  Jean  Baptistin  Quies 
was  desire,  thirst  for,  absolute  need  of  repose,  carried 
to  such  a  pitch  that  nothing  short  of  inexorable  neces- 
sity would  have  induced  him  to  go  ten  paces  beyond 
the  wall  of  his  garden,  which  hardly  extended  to  thirty 
from  one  end  to  the  other.  This  peculiarity  of  the  worthy 
man  was,  however,  purely  physical.  He  craved  for  repose, 
but  he  loved  not  idleness.  His  legs  objected  to  loco- 
motion, but  his  mind  travelled  briskly. 

J.  B.  Quies,  who  was  a  doctor  of  science  and  a  member 
of  the  Geographical,  Numismatical,  and  Archaeological 
Society  of  his  Department,  passed  very  justly  for  a  learned 
personage.  He  was  enthusiastic  about  everything  relating 
to  the  progress  of  science.  Night  and  day  he  would  pore 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


over  the  solution  of  a  problem,  but  always  on  condition  that 
his  studies  should  not  expose  him  to  the  necessity  of 
moving  about. 

The  mere  sight  of  him  suggested  and  explained  his 
sedentary  tastes.  He  was  short,  stout,  and  afflicted  with 
an  "  unbounded  stomach,"  which  overhung  two  little, 
hardly-perceptible  legs. 

Was  this  lamentable  obesity  to  be  regarded  as  a  cause  or 
as  a  consequence  ?  Had  Dr.  Quies  a  horror  of  motion  be- 
cause he  was  fat  ;  or  was  he  fat  because  he  had  too  long 
cherished  a  horror  of  motion  ?  We  incline  to  the  latter 
hypothesis,  and  we  shall  furnish  a  proof  in  support  of  it 
which  cannot  fail  to  convince  the  most  incredulous. 

Jean  Baptistin  was  only  a 
week  old  when  M.  Quies  the 
elder  determined  that  his  son 
should  be  put  out  to  nurse  in 
the  country,  for  the  sake  of 
the  child's  own  health,  and 
also  that  of  the  paternal  tran- 
quillity. Jean  Baptistin,  who 
had  never  cried  at  all  until 
then,  got  into  a  violent  passion 
and  uttered  dismal  cries.  So 
sudden  a  manifestation  can 
only  have  been  caused  by  his 
strong  antipathy  to  motion. 

The  village  in  which  his 
nurse  lived  was  eight  leagues 
from  his  parents'  home.  Dur- 
ing his  transit  thither,  Jean 
Baptistin  never  ceased  to  cry,  but  no  sooner  had  the  woman 
to  whom  he  was  confided  set  foot  within  her  own  door,  anti 
deposited  her  nursling  in  his  cradle,  than  his  screams  were 
hushed  as  though  by  magic. 

Surely  this  was  a  clear  and  sufficient  protest  ;  neverthe- 
less, as  though  the  young  Baptistin  had  learned  even  at  so 


Jean  Baptistin  uttered  dismal  cries. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  15 

early  an  age  that  you  cannot  convince  people  at  once, 
he  renewed  his  protest  on  being  taken  back  to  the  paternal 
roof,  roaring  lustily  all  the  way.  Not  until  he  found  himself 
under  the  sheltering  wing  of  his  mother  after  a  two  years' 
absence,  could  he  be  induced  to  leave  off  screaming  and 
to  smile  upon  a  new  existence. 

When  M.  Quies  beheld  his  son,  in  the  first  hour  of  his 
restoration  to  his  home,  blotched  with  tears  and  crimson 
with  passion,  the  father's  heart  misgave  him  that  the  boy 
would  prove  to  be  a  troublesome,  disagreeable,  ill-tempered 
brat,  and  but  for  the  timely  intervention  of  his  mother, 
Jean  Baptistin  would  probably  have  been  sent  back  with 
his  nurse  for  two  more  years. 

It  was,  however,  for  only  a  short  time  that  M.  Quies  re- 
gretted what  he  had  at  first  called  his  "  weakness."  The  little 
Baptistin  went  on  growing  bigger  very  quietly,  leaving  his 
father  ample  leisure  to  attend  to  his  affairs.  He  was  held 
up  as  an  example  to  the  other  small  boys  of  his  age  in  the 
place.  He  was  never  seen  to  run  about  the  street,  he  was 
never  caught  in  the  fields  in  the  act  of  eating  feloniously- 
acquired  apples,  or  of  hunting  birds. 

His  contemplative  instincts  developed  themselves  within 
the  four  garden  walls  of  the  paternal  dwelling,  and  in  a 
little  wood  where  he  passed  most  of  his  time  during  the 
daylight. 

Mme.  Quies,  who  was  not  a  mother  for  nothing,  was 
strangely  disquieted  at  times  by  the  oddities  which  she  de- 
tected in  her  son  when  he  was  eight  years  old,  or  there- 
abouts. 

"  That  child  is  not  like  other  children,"  she  remarked  to 
her  husband. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  him  ?  "  asked  the  father,  with 
a  shrug  of  his  shoulders. 

"  I  don't  know.  But  he  does  not  play,  he  does  not  run, 
he  hardly  speaks  !  Yesterday,  again,  I  found  him  lying  in 
the  wood  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground — " 

"  He  was  asleep." 


16  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 

"  No,  he  was  not  asleep." 

"  Very  well,  then,  he  wasn't.  But  what  do  you  want  me 
to  do  with  him  ? " 

Upon  which  M.  Quies  walked  out  of  the  room, muttering, — 

"  Oh,  those  mothers  !  They  are  all  alike.  Their  sons 
are  all  prodigies  !  " 

A  trifling  occurrence  was  the  means  of  opening  the  eyes 
of  the  father,  justifying  the  vague  previsions  of  the  mother, 
and  indicating  to  them  both  the  path  in  which  Jean 
Baptistin  was  destined  to  walk  with  distinction. 

The  summer  was  drawing  to  a  close.  Mme.  Quies  had 
just  happily  terminated  her  useful  and  important  task  of 
fruit-preserving.  Apricots,  plums,  and  currants  were  trans- 
rormed  into  delicious-looking  yellow,  orange,  and  red  jelly, 
and  deposited  in  pots  of  glittering  glass,  which  were 
symmetrically  ranged  on  the  sideboard,  on  the  table,  on 
shelves  in  the  kitchen,  and  indeed  all  over  the  dining-room. 
Mme.  Quies  had  retired  to  rest  in  a  mood  of  proud  self- 
complacency,  and  intending  to  cover  her  jam-po's  betimes 
on  the  morrow.  She  had  also  resolved  to  send  a  dozen  of 
them  to  M.  le  Cure,  a  dozen  to  her  cousin,  Mme.  Ragot, 
and  a  dozen  to  Mme.  de  Malleville. 

The  morrow !  Ah !  On  the  morrow  morning  Mme. 
Quies  uttered  a  scream,  and  all  but  fainted.  Her  jam-pots 
were  black  with  ants.  The  whole  of  her  preserves  would 
have  to  be  thrown  out.  Not  a  pot  could  be  used. 

"  Where  did  the  odious  things  come  from  ?"  she  inquired, 
in  vain  distress. 

'•  Perhaps  they  would  tell  you  if  you  asked  them," 
answered  M.  Quies,  with  true  marital  sarcasm,  while 
Jean  Baptistin,  open-mouthed,  watched  his  parents  as 
they  performed  the  exasperating  operation  of  burying  the 
jam. 

All  day  long  the  ants  that  had  got  into  the  Quies' 
preserves  were  the  talk  of  the  town,  for  Mme.  Quies  had 
very  naturally  hastened  to  relate  her  misfortune  to  all 
comers.  All  day,  ay,  even  until  nightfall,  did  she  bewail 


An  army  of  ants. 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  19 

her  loss,  and  she  was  still  bewailing  it  when  the  hour  came 
at  which  she  was  accustomed  to  retire  for  the  night.  As 
may  be  supposed,  she  was  still  agitated,  but  she  settled 
her  pillows,  smoothed  her  counterpane,  and  extinguished 
her  lamp,  and  after  a  last  sigh  of  regret  for  her  cherished 
preserves,  was  about  to  compose  herself  to  sleep,  when  a 
sudden  sting  in  the  left  leg  made  her  start.  Mme.  Ouies 
passed  her  hand  lightly  over  the  spot  and  resumed  her 
former  position.  A  sting  in  the  right  leg  this  time  !  She 
had  not  time  to  put  her  hand  to  the  place  ere  the  same 
sharp  pain  attacked  her  in  the  shoulders,  the  arms,  the 
neck,  in  fact  all  over  her  body. 

She  jumped  out  of  bed  muttering, — 

"  This  comes  of  letting  the  dogs  into  the  house  !  I  will 
let  Theodore  know  that — " 

She  had  relighted  the  lamp,  and  the  last  words  of  the 
sentence  were  arrested  on  her  lips  by  surprise  and  terror. 
The  bed  was  literally  black  with  ants  ! 

She  rushed  into  the  adjoining  room,  shrieking, — 

"  Theodore !  Theodore  ! " 

Theodore  made  no  reply.  Standing  in  the  middle  of 
the  room  in  his  night  attire,  and  distractedly  scratching 
his  head,  was  Theodore,  contemplating  an  army  of  ants 
marching  and  countermarching  upon  his  bed,  his  carpet, 
and  the  furniture  of  his  room. 

This  was  invasion ! 

"  Oh  !  Good  Heavens ! "  exclaimed  Mme.  Quies,  "  Bap- 
tistin ! " 

The  parents  ran  to  their  child's  room,  and  found  him 
sleeping  sweetly  in  his  little  white  bed,  on  which  not  a 
single  black  spot  appeared. 

Mme.  Quies  quickly  shut  the  door,  stopped  up  the  slit 
at  the  bottom  of  it  to  prevent  ingress  by  the  enemy,  and 
proceeded  to  a  general  inspection  of  the  house. 

Horror !  Ants — enormous  ones — had  invaded  the  whole 
of  it. 

"  Where   can    the    little   wretches    have    come    from  ? " 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


asked  M.  Qu-ies.     "  We  must  find   out  how  they  got  in. 
It  is  not  natural." 

"  Oh,  Theodore,  do  look  here !  "  cried  Mme.  Quies,  pre- 
sently, as  she  pointed  out  to  her  husband  a  huge  ant-hill 
which  had  been  deposited  in  a  china-closet  opening  into 
the  dining-room. 

"  What  an  extraordinary  thing  !  " 

"  I  was  in  the  china-closet  to-day  at  noon,  and  there  was 
nothing  there  then." 

"  It  is  not  in  one  night  that — " 

"  No  doubt." 

"  This  is  a  trick  that  somebody  has  played  us.  Look, 
the  ant-hill  is  stuck  upon  a  board !  " 

"  We  have  no  ill-wishers  that  I  know  of." 

"  One  is  always  more  sure  of  having  enemies  than 
friends." 

With  this  profound  remark  M.  Quies  carried  off  the 
corpus  delicti,  in  order  to  throw  it  into  the  wood  on  the  far 
side  of  the  garden,  and  afterwards  returned  with  all  speed 
to  assist  his  wife  in  sweeping  and  brushing  away  the 
legions  in  occupation. 

The  next  morning  a  strict  inquiry  was  instituted.  The 
servants,  the  gardener,  and  the  under-gardener  were 
questioned  in  vain.  M.  Quies  was  about  to  have  recourse 
to  the  juge  de  paix  to  claim  the  aid  of  his  intelligence  and 
the  authority  of  his  name  in  obtaining  justice,  when 
Baptistin  entered  the  salon  in  which  the  court  of  inquiry 
had  been  held,  in  tears. 

M.  Quies,  who  was  exceedingly  irritated,  felt  a  sudden 
inclination  to  turn  on  the  child  and  make  him  pay  for  the 
damage  done,  but  the  mother  again  interposed,  (ortunately, 
and  said  to  the  little  fellow, — 
"  What  are  you  crying  for  ?  " 

"  They — they — they  are  gone,"  sobbed  out  Baptistin. 
"  Who  are  gone  ? " 
"  My  ants." 
M.  Quies  made  a  spring  into  the  air,  and  coming  down 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


21 


on  his  feet  in  front  of  his  son,  with  his  legs  apart  and  a 
terrific  frown  upon  his  brow,  shouted  at  him, 

"  You  little  wretch  !  " 

So  intense  was  his  rage  that  he  was  unable  to  utter 
another  word. 

Baptistin,  whose  tears  had   been  suddenly  arrested  by 


^sm;*c~  . -•' .  v  -  ...-.  -•  -  -: -;,  ^x.s . . 

"  What  are  you  crying  for  ?  " 

this  strange  demonstration  on  the  part  of  his  father,  stared 
at  him  with  distended  eyes. 

"  Question  him,  madame,  question  him." 
-   "Tell  me,"  said  Mme.  Quies  to  the  child,  "was  it  you 
who  brought  the  ant-hill  into  the  house  and  put  it  in  the 
china-closet  ?" 


22 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


"  Yes,  ma." 

"  And  what  did  you  do  it  for  ?  " 

"  I  wanted  to  look  at  the  ants." 

"  But  you  could  look  at  them  in  the  little  wood  where 
you  got  them." 

"  It's  too  far  off,  ma." 

With  this  Baptistin  fell  a-crying  once  more,  and  nothing 
further  could  be  elicited  from  him.  After  M.  Quies  had 
recovered  his  temper,  he  drew  the  following  sound  conclu- 
sions from  this  adventure  :  That  his  son  had  an  extra- 
ordinary taste  for  study ;  that  he  was  gifted  with  pre- 
cocious intelligence,  because  he  had  bethought  him  of 
placing  the  anthill  on  a  board  in  order  to  carry  it  to  the 
house ;  that  such  talents  ought  not  to  be  left  unculti- 
vated ;  and  finally,  that  it  was  his  duty  to  send  Baptistin 
to  school. 

He  acted  upon  the  latter  conclusion  the  very  next  day ; 
but  three  months  after  the  departure  of  Baptistin  there 
still  remained  ants  in  the  house. 


DR.   J.   B.    QUIES.  23 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SAINT-PIGNON    LES   GIROUETTES. 

THE  process  of  dislodging  the  tenacious  and  exasperating 
insects  proved  to  be  so  difficult  and  so  costly — for  the  opera- 
tion was  only  to  be  effected  by  extensive  repairs — that  the 
occurrence  above  related  made  a  profound  impression  upon 
both  the  feelings  and  the  pocket  of  M.  Quies.  The  result 
was  that  Baptistin  was  kept  in  a  sort  of  perpetual  disgrace, 
lest  he  should  think  proper  to  break  out  a  second  time. 
His  visits  to  the  town  during  the  eight  years  of  his  life  at 
school  were  few  and  brief.  His  studies  did  not  suffer  in 
consequence,  nor  did  he  suffer  either.  His  indolent  dispo- 
sition led  him  to  bestow  little  ;  it  also  hindered  him  from 
exacting  much.  He  was  well  content  with  the  amount  of 
affection  which  his  parents  bestowed  upon  him  once  a  week, 
and  for  the  slight  annoyance  of  feeling  himself,  so  to 
speak,  a  prisoner,  he  was  amply  compensated  by  not 
having  to  walk  five  hundred  yards  in  order  to  go  from  the 
school  to  his  home,  and  five  hundred  yards  more  in  order 
to  do  the  return  distance.  The  total  of  one  thousand  yards 
filled  him  with  dread  and  repugnance.  He  therefore  re- 
signed himself  to  durance  more  readily  than  could  have 
been  supposed,  and  devoted  to  his  studies  all  the  time  that 
the  other  boys  passed  in  the  fields. 

So  assiduous  was  the  lad  that  he  carried  off  all  the  prizes 
at  every  distribution,  and  one  fine  day,  in  spite  of  the  ants 
which  still  lingered  in  his  resentful  memory,  M.  Quies  was 
obliged  to  acknowledge  that  he  had  a  son  of  whom  he 
might  be  proud,  and  to  restore  him  to  his  heart  and  home. 


24  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Baptistin  accepted  the  favour  without  either  ingratitude 
or  enthusiasm.  With  this  revival  of  paternal  affection  a 
new  feeling  took  possession  of  M.  Quies,  from  the  very  day 
on  which  Baptistin,  having  completed  his  studies,  resumed 
his  place  by  the  paternal  fireside  By  dint  of  hearing  it 
constantly  said  in  the  town,  "Young  Quies  is  a  wonderful 
boy  !  "  or  "  The  lad  will  do  great  things  !  "  and  even, 
"  Baptistin  will  be  an  honour  to  the  department !  "  M. 
Quies  had  become  convinced  that  his  son's  future  distinc- 
tion was  a  thing  proper  and  personal  to  him,  M.  Quies, 
and  that  one  day  a  statue  would  be  erected  to  him  for 
the  sole  reason  that  he  had  been  clever  enough  to  be  the 
father  of  his  son. 

This  hallucination  is  not  so  extravagant  as  it  seems  at 
first  sight  ;  there  are  many  people  who  seriously  re- 
gard themselves  as  distinguished  persons  because  they 
have  occasionally  shaken  hands  with  an  illustrious  indi- 
vidual. 

M.  Quies  then  resolved  to  extract  as  much  advantage  as 
possible  from  the  talents  of  Baptistin,  and  for  the  further- 
ance of  this  object  he  made  up  his  mind  to  send  his  son 
to  Paris,  there  to  qualify  for  the  dignity  of  a  licentiate  and 
doctor  of  science. 

The  title  of  "Doctor"  was  all  in  all  in  his  estimation. 

We  need  not  say,  considering  the  disposition  of  the 
future  laureate,  that  he  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  this  proposal 
so  long  as  he  possibly  could.  At  length  his  father  re- 
sorted to  the  use  of  authority,  simply  ordering  him  to  set 
out  for  the  capital. 

Baptistin  took  his  place  in  the  diligence,  much  against 
the  grain,  and  travelled  the  twelve  leagues  with  many  and 
deep  sighs.  So  long  did  the  way  seem  that  he  asked 
himself  very  seriously  whether  he  would  not  do  well  to 
settle  down  in  some  fixed  post  in  the  capital,  so  as  to  avoid 
the  fatigue  of  the  return  journey. 

He  answered  his  own  query  first  in  the  affirmative, 
then  in  the  negative  :  he  could  not  make  up  his  mind  to 


DR.   J.    B.    QUlfcS.  25 

remain  in  the  midst  of  the  noise  of  the  great  city,  where 
contemplative  natures  find  it  so  difficult  to  follow  their 
inclinations.  Fate,  too,  did  not  give  him  time  to  come 
to  a  decision.  He  had  just  brilliantly  passed  his  examina- 
tion for  the  doctor's  degree,  when  he  was  summoned  home 
by  an  urgent  letter. 

M.  Ouies  the  elder  was  dangerously  ill  ;  so  ill,  that  he 
had  hardly  strength  to  embrace  his  son  before  he  expired. 
As  beseemed  a  faithful  wife,  Mme.  Quies  followed  him 
to  the  grave  after  very  brief  delay,  and  Baptistin  found 
himself  at  twenty-eight  years  of  age  the  sole  inheritor  of 
the  name  and  fortune  of  the  Quies'. 

The  name  was  honourable,  the  fortune  was  ample,  and 
•Baptistin,  having  given  as  much  time  and  as  many  tears  as 
he  could  spare  to  his  filial  affliction,  set  about  arranging 
his  life  to  the  best  advantage,  that  is  to  say,  making  the 
most  of  his  land,  drawing  his  income,  and  pursuing  his  own 
occupations  without  having  to  stir  from  his  study. 

From  that  day  forth  he  was  commonly  called  Doctor 
Quies  by  the  whole  town.  He  possessed  a  yearly  revenue 
of  thirty  thousand  livres  in  lands,  woods,  and  Government 
securities,  without  reckoning  his  house,  a  handsome  dwell- 
ing with  a  porch  facing  the  street,  and  a  tolerably  large 
garden  with  a  good  conservatory. 

Being  the  possessor  of  so  good  a  fortune,  and  already  re- 
nowned for  his  learning  and  oddity,  he  speedily  took 
and  easily  kept  the  leading  place  at  Saint-Pignon  les 
Girouettes. 

The  town  of  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  is  not  marked 
upon  any  map  of  France.  This  we  hold  to  be  an  omission 
on  the  part  of  the  geographers,  unless  indeed  it  figures  on 
the  maps  under  some  other  name,  which  is  not  an  impossible 
case.  We  have  even  had  some  communications  on  the  point 
made  to  us,  but  as  we  do  not  desire  to  expose  ourselves  to 
recrimination  and  resentment,  the  geographers  may  give 
any  name  they  please  to  the  sub-prefecture  in  question,  and 
we  shall  continue  to  call  it  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes. 


26 


THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 


It  is  a  charming  little  town,  perched  on  the  top  of  a  green 
slope,  like  a  white  turtle-dove  in  the  foliage  of  an  oak.  The 
slate  roofs  of  its  dainty  houses  shine  brightly  in  the  first  rays 
of  the  rising  sun,  and  in  the  last  broad  lights  before  evening 
falls.  The  town  looks  as  though  it  gets  up  earlier  and 
goes  to  bed  later  than  other  towns,  simply  because  it  is  so 
glad  to  be  alive.  A  river  bordered  with  poplars  and  willows 
flows  beneath  the  green  hillside,  through  wide  meadows 
intersected  by  long  rows  of  poplars  ;  far  beyond  stretches 


Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes. 

the  plain,  rich  in  crops,  and  reminding  one  of  a  harlequin's 
suit,  with  its  little  brown,  green,  and  yellow  patches  ;  while 
farther  away  still  other  slopes  rise,  clothed  with  vineyards 
and  woods,  which  close  up  the  horizon,  and  seem  to  say  to 
the  fortunate  dwellers  in  this  favoured  little  corner  of  the 
earth,  "  God  gives  you  enough  ;  you  have  no  need  to  see 
beyond." 

Every  medal  has,  unhappily,  its  reverse.  Absolute 
calm  no  longer  exists,  except  in  the  perpetual  motion  ; 
and  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes,  notwithstanding  its 
peaceful  aspect,  was,  like  other  towns  great  and  small,  a 


DR.  J.   B.    QUlfcS.  27 

prey  to  discord  of  all  kinds,  which  rendered  it  a  less 
pleasant  place  of  abode  than  might  have  been  expected. 

There,  as  elsewhere,  the  wife  of  the  sub-prefect  con- 
sidered it  highly  improper  that  the  wife  of  the  Jiuissier 
should  wear  a  fur  cloak  which  cost  eight  hundred  francs, 
while  she  herself  wore  one  at  three  hundred  ;  the  notary 
complained  of  the  encroachments  of  the  attorney,  who  lived 
in  far  too  good  style  ;  there,  in  short,  as  elsewhere,  every 
man  made  little  of  his  neighbours,  and  passed  a  good  part 
of  his  time  in  climbing  over  the  wall  of  private  life,  which 
no  legislation  has  yet  succeeded  in  raising  high  enough  to 
render  enterprise  of  that  kind  impossible. 

Nevertheless,  Saint-Pignon  held  its  place  none  the  less 
honourably  among  the  towns  of  the  department.  It  com- 
prised all  that  ought  to  be  comprised  within  a  self-respect- 
ing town — a  Court  of  Justice,  a  Prison,  a  Hospital,  a  Choral 
Society,  and  a  Geographical,  Numismatical,  and  Archaeo- 
logical Society. 

But,  more  than  upon  all  these,  Saint-Pignon  prided  itself 
upon  M.  J.  B.  Quies,  who  returned  the  compliment  in  part 
only.  When  his  name  was  uttered,  it  was  with  a  sapient 
shake  of  the  head,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  He  will  do  great 
things !  " 

If  it  had  been  announced  at  Saint-Pignon  that  M.  Quies 
had  discovered  a  way  of  going  to  the  moon  and  coming 
back  in  forty-eight  hours,  no  one  would  have  breathed  a 
word  of  doubt.  A  man  so  rich  and  so  learned  could  do 
anything.  Thus  the  good  doctor  lived  on  good  terms  with 
everybody  ;  that  is  to  say,  with  almost  everybody.  We 
say  "  almost,"  because,  as  shall  presently  be  demonstrated, 
he  had  unintentionally  sown  some  seeds  of  enmity,  and 
when  they  sprang  up — 

We  must  not,  however,  anticipate  events  ;  and  before  we 
speak  of  the  only  enemy  he  possessed  in  the  town,  let  us 
say  a  few  words  of  his  friends,  several  of  whom  play  a  part, 
however  slight,  in  this  most  remarkable  and  improbable 
history. 


23 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


First  of  all,  comes  Gertrude,  his  housekeeper,  who  also 
discharged  the  functions  of  steward,  treasurer,  and  cook. 
There  is  something  more  to  be  said  concerning  Mme. 


Madame  Ragot  and  her  daughters. 

Ragot,  a  widow  lady,  the  good  doctor's  first  cousin, 
and  presumptive  heiress,  who,  being  afflicted  with  six 
marriageable  daughters,  could  not  be  otherwise  than 


DR.   J.    B.    QUlfcS.  29 

seriously  solicitous  lest  a  too  liberal  testamentary  deposi- 
tion of  his  property  should  reduce  the  dowries  of  her  dear 
ones  to  almost  nothing. 

The  doctor  was  barely  forty  years  of  age.  One  might 
say  that  it  was  rather  soon  for  her  to  concern  herself  about 
his  death.  His  death  !  Good  heavens  !  Whoever  thought 
of  such  a  thing!  Mme.  Ragot  would  have  strangled  with 
her  own  hands  any  one  who  should  have  had  the  audacity  to 
say  to  her  that  she  was  reckoning  in  her  secret  soul  upon 
the  inheritance  of  her  cousin  Quies  ;  that  dear  cousin  Quies 
whom  she  coddled  and  cossetted  and  plied  with  cunning 
confections  and  goodies  of  her  own  making  ;  for  whom  she 
annually  embroidered  a  pair  of  braces  as  a  New  Year's 
gift,  and  a  skull-cap  for  his  birthday.  Thinking  about  his 
death  !  What  an  idea  !  She  was  anxious  for  his  own  good, 
that  was  all,  it  was  his  interest  she  had  in  view — and  then 
she  would  say  to  herself  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  her  dear 
cousin  had  a  decided  tendency  to  apoplexy ;  that  a  fatal 
accident  might  happen  at  any  moment,  and  that  if  it 
pleased  God  to  take  her  dear  cousin,  she  could  soon  get 
her  daughters  married — nothing  more. 

That  is  not  reckoning  upon  people's  death,  you  know  ! 
We  must,  however,  look  also  at  the  good  side  of  things. 
Mme.  Ragot,  although  transparently  envious,  was  never- 
theless sincerely  fond  of  Quies.  At  all  events  she 
believed  herself  to  be  fond  of  him,  and  the  shade  of 
difference  is  so  slight !  The  good  doctor  allowed  himself 
to  be  fondled  and  petted  without  troubling  himself  in  the 
least  about  any  of  those  involuntary  speculations  of  his 
dear  cousin's,  to  which  he  unconsciously  gave  rise. 
Mme.  Ragot  had  not  come  to  this  point  all  at  once.  She 
was  a  widow,  and  still  well-looking ;  she  had  reflected  that 
M.  Quies  at  forty  years  of  age  might  marry  and  settle  ; 
that  he  would  not  find  any  one  at  Saint-Pignon  to  love 
him  and  take  care  of  him  as  she  would  do  ;  that  they  had 
known  each  other  for  a  long  time  ;  that  a  .union  between 
them  would  certainly  be  approved  by  the  whole  town,  and 


30  THE  STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 

could  not  surprise  anybody ;  with  many  other  reasons  in 
support  of  her  views. 

When,  however,  after  five  or  six  fruitless  attempts, 
Mme.  Ragot  was  made  to  understand  that  celibacy  was 
a  settled  vocation  in  the  case  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  she  was 
obliged  to  cast  her  eyes  towards  a  more  distant  horizon  in 
search  of  the  dawning  of  a  "  dot "  for  her  daughters. 

No  one  is  perfect  anywhere  ;  not  even  at  Saint-Pignon. 
If,  by  any  unhappy  chance,  Quies  had  been  enabled  to 
read  the  thoughts  of  his  cousin  Ragot,  his  surprise 
would  have  been  brief,  and  he  would  not  have  shed  a  tear 
over  it. 

Without  being  entirely  selfish,  he  entertained  no  more 
than  a  calm  and  tranquil  affection,  not  very  far  removed 
from  indifference,  for  those  who  were  connected  with 
him.  The  only  two  beings  whom  he  loved  in  the 
true  sense  of  the  word — that  of  being  willing  to  sacrifice 
something  for  their  sake — were  Commandant  La  Carriole, 
of  whom  we  shall  have  to  speak  hereafter,  and  Henri 
de  Malleville,  a  big  youth  of  twenty,  his  pupil,  whom  the 
force  of  time  and  habit  had  made  him  regard  almost 
as  his  own  kinsman. 

M.  and  Mme.  de  Malleville  were  old  friends  of  the 
Quies'.  M.  de  Malleville,  having  met  with  heavy  losses 
in  Paris,  by  unfortunate  speculations,  had  realized  the 
remnant  of  his  fortune  and  retired  to  Saint-Pignon,  where 
he  bought  a  small  house,  in  which  the  family  had  been 
residing  for  ten  years,  while  awaiting  the  coming  of  better 
times. 

Schooling  was  expensive ;  .  M.  de  Mallevi lie's  means 
were  restricted ;  the  boy  must  be  educated.  Doctor 
Quies  offered  to  teach  him.  Such  a  proposition  \vas  in 
itself  an  instalment  of  good  fortune,  and  it  was  eagerly 
accepted.  Henri  de  Malleville  took  so  kindly  to  the 
house  of  his  instructor  that  he  was  perfectly  at  home 
there,  and  nobody,  himself  included,  thought  of  such  a 
thing  as  his  leaving  it.  A  change  \\  as,  however,  impending. 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  31 

M.  de  Malleville  was  tempting  fortune  in  Algeria.  The 
latest  news  of  him  indicated  a  more  prosperous  future. 
He  hoped  to  get  a  share  in  an  association  formed  for 
the  exploitation  of  a  great  cork-tree  forest,  and  was  at 
the  same  time  sending  in  tenders  for  engineering  works 
to  be  executed  on  the  boundary  of  our  possessions  in 
the  province. 

One  day  or  another  Henri  would  have  to  leave  the 
doctor,  and  rejoin  M.  de  Malleville  with  his  mother. 
Until  then,  Quies  considered  himself  invested  with  the 
paternal  and  responsible  guardianship  of  the  youth. 

Little  did  he  think  that  his  dear  pupil  would  have  an 
involuntary  share  in  the  deplorable  calamities  which 
chance  was  about  to  heap  upon  his  devoted  head. 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOW  AND  WHY  DOCTOR  J.  B.  QU1ES,  HAVING  ASCER- 
TAINED THAT  A  MAN-SERVANT  WAS  INDISPENSABLE 
TO  HIM,  ENGAGED  ONE  AT  NOON  AND  GAVE  HIM  A 
WEEK'S  NOTICE  AT  A  QUARTER  TO  ONE  O'CLOCK. 

"  THE  town  clock  is  striking  eleven,  sir,"  said  Gertrude, 
as  she  half-opened  the  door  of  the  study  and  then 
banged  it  to  again. 

Doctor  Quies  started,  and  muttered,  "  This  is  intoler- 
able ! " 

Gertrude's  footsteps  died  away  at  the  end  of  the  cor- 
ridor ;  the  doctor  carefully  expunged  a  blot,  and  resuming 
his  pen,  wrote  as  follows  : — 

"  If,  as  I  hope,  I  succeed  in  showing  that  the  articles 
which  I  have  found  date  from  450 ;  if  the  inscriptions 
which  I  have  deciphered  do  really  bear  the  meaning  that  I 
assign  to  them,  it  is  evident  that  a  great  battle  was  fought 
by  Attila  under  the  very  walls  of  Saint-Pignon  les  Girou- 
ettes  against  Theodoric,  King  of  the  Goths,  and  the 
Roman  General  Aetius.  Admitting  that  this  battle  is 
not  the  conflict  mentioned  by  Olaus,  the  architect  of 
Upsala,  and  must  be  regarded  only  as  a  minor  en- 
gagement, it  remains  none  the  less  certain  that  Saint- 
Pignon  les  Girouettes  already  existed  at  that  date,  since 
one  or  other  of  the  two  armies  had  come  thither  to 
establish  a  centre  of  operations. 

"  It  remains  then  for  me  to  examine  and  explain  the 
inscriptions  of  which  I  speak,  and  to  deduce  from  them 


»  DR.   J.   B.   QUlfeS.  33 

a  proof  of  what   I   say.     This  I   propose  to   do  without 
fear  of  refutation." 

M.  Ouies  wrote  down  a  full  stop,  drew  a  line,  and  threw 
himself  back  in  his  armchair  to  collect  his  ideas. 

He  was  evidently  well  pleased  with  himself.  His  eyes 
twinkled,  the  grey  locks  at  the  sides  and  the  top 
of  his  head  seemed  to  stir  with  gladness,  and  his  good- 
humoured,  thick  red  lips  were  parted  in  a  wide  smile 
which  told  of  exuberant  health  and  a  conscience  free 
from  reproach. 

Perhaps  he  owed  a  little  of  his  beatitude  to  external 
influences. 

It  was  early  in  September.  The  summer  sun  diffused  a 
warm  and  cheerful  light  over  the  room  through  the 
Japanese  blinds.  Birds  were  chirping  in  the  branches, 
forming  an  invisible  orchestra  to  which  the  pendulum  of 
the  chimney-clock  kept  time.  Souls  expand  like  flowers 
when  Nature  thus  displays  all  her  beauties  unveiled.  Doctor 
Quies  formed  no  exception  to  the  general  law. 

If,  however,  anybody  had  questioned  him  concerning 
his  high  spirits,  he  would  have  been  at  a  loss  for  an 
answer,  so  deeply  absorbed  was  he  in  his  important  essay 
upon  "  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  in  the  days  of  Attila." 

Although  he  loved  knowledge  for  its  own  sake,  the 
doctor  had  come,  by  dint  of  hearing  himself  called  a  great 
man,  to  be  conscious  that  the  seeds  of  ambition  had  been 
implanted  in.  him.  "Member  of  the  Institute!"  How 
well  the  title  looked  upon  a  card !  And  he  believed 
that  he  should  be  quite  capable  of  acquiring  that  distinc- 
tion, provided  he  were  not  obliged  to  put  himself  too  much 
out  of  his  way. 

What  a  sensation  his  essay  would  make !  All  the 
hitherto  known  documents  reduced  to  nothingness !  An 
entirely  new  mine  to  explore  !  The  whole  scientific  world 
at  bay !  And  all  done  by  him,  J.  B.  Quies  ! 

He  softly  passed  his  left  hand  under  his  chin  as  though 
to  encourage  himself  to  persevere,  and  continued  to  write  : — 
3 


34  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  Let  us  take  the  subjects  which  I  have  the  honour  of 
submitting  to  the  Geographical,  Numismatical,  and  Archaeo- 
logical Society  of  Saint-Pignon  in  the  order  in  which  I 
have  catalogued  them. 

"  i.  Nos.  i  to  16.  Iron  rings  absolutely  eaten  away  by 
rust,  and  on  which  it  is  no  longer  possible  to  distinguish 
more  than  one  letter,  an  A.  This  I  do  not  hesitate  to 
regard  as  the  initial  of  the  name  of  Attila  ;  these  rings 
being  doubtless  those  worn  on  the  arm  by  the  slaves  and 
prisoners  of  the  Huns. 

"2.  No.  17.  A  horseshoe,  bearing  the  still  visible  mark 
C.  C.  This  mark  it  is  easy  to  complete  ;  in  fact  it  com- 
pletes itself,  thus,  CCCCL.  450 !  As  all  the  indications 
lead  us  to  think  that  Attila's  horses  were  not  shod,  there 
is  reason  to  believe  and  affirm  that  the  horseshoe  above 
described  was  one  of  four  belonging  to  a  troop-horse  in 
the  cavalry  of  the  Roman  general  Aetius.  A  'hardly 
visible  mark,  which  on  being  carefully  examined  proves  to 
be  an  S,  on  the  right  side  of  the  horse-shoe,  comes  to  the 
support  of  my  assertions — S.P.Q.R.,  the  Roman  mark  ! 

"3.  No.  1 8.  An  earthenware  vessel,  without  any  mark 
or  indication,  but  shaped — 

"  It's  half-past  eleven,  sir !  " 

This  time  Gertrude  had  come  into  the  room,  and 
sticking  her  feather-brush  under  her  left  arm,  looked  im- 
periously at  her  master. 

"  Well !     What  then  ?  "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  What  then  ?     Why,  the  auction  is  at  twelve  o'clock." 

"  The  auction  ?  " 

"  Of  the  Cochariotte's  farm." 

"  Ah !  " 

"  Are  you  going  to  lose  this  opportunity !  The  land 
is  worth  thirty  thousand  francs  if  it  is  worth  a  sou  !  You 
can  have  it  for  twenty  thousand  francs,  and  you  are  going 
to  leave  it  to  M.  Anthime  Bonamy !  He  wants  to  get  it, 
I  know.  But  he  will  not  bid  more  than  eighteen  thousand 
francs,  if  you  are  not  there  -  " 


DR.  J.  B.  QUlfeS. 


35 


"  I  have  given  instructions  to  my  lawyer." 
"Your  lawyer!  As  if  it  wasn't  well  known  that  he  has 
a  grudge  against  Maitre  Grimblot.  Grimblot  conducts 
the  sale,  and  he  will  be  right  glad  to  play  your  lawyer 
a  trick.  You  must  go  to  the  Palais  de  Justice  yourself, 
sir." 

"Gertrude,  it  is  354  yards  from  this  house  to  the  Palais 
de  Justice.  354  and  354  make  708  yards.  I  do  not  think 
it  well  to  undergo  so  much  fatigue." 


"  It's  half- past  eleven,  sir  ! 


"You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself!  " 

"  Why,  Gertrude  ?  The  strength  which  a  man  expends 
in  bodily  motion  is  so  much  lost  to  mental  exertion.  I 
have  a  task  to  fulfil  for  the  benefit  of  humanity." 

Doctor  J.  B.  Quies  was  so  convinced  of  the  truth  of  this 
assertion  that  he  dismissed  Gertrude,  and  resumed  his 
occupation. 

"4.  No.  19.  A  short,  wide,  two-edged  blade,  rounded 
at  the  end,  such  being  either  its  original  shape,  or — " 


36          THE  STARTLING  EXPLOITS  OF 

"  Sir,"  cried  Gertrude  from  without,  "  here  comes  the 
man-servant  you  are  expecting." 

Gertrude  was  growing  old,  and  the  good  doctor  felt  the 
necessity  of  providing  her  with  an  assistant.  A  friend 
had  recommended  to  him  a  tall,  stoutly-built  fellow, 
neither  too  fat  nor  too  thin,  ruddy,  smiling,  and  jovial, 
with  light  hair  cut  like  a  clothes-brush. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  this  individual,  as  he  entered  the  room, 
"  here  I  am.  This  letter  is  from  the  Commandant — " 

"  Give  it  to  me." 

The  doctor  took  the  letter,  broke  the  seal,  and  read, — 

"  MY  OLD  FRIEND, — I  send  you  the  person  in  question, 
whom  I  have  never  seen.  It  appears  that  he  is  a  perfect 
treasure.  You  will  give  me  news  of  him. 

"  Always  yours, 

"  VERNET  LA  CARRIOLE. 

"  P.S. — Apropos  of  news,  I  think  I  shall  require  your 
services  shortly.  The  matter  is — but  I  will  write  to  you." 

The  doctor  attached  little  importance  to  this  postscript. 
Commandant  La  Carriole  had  occasionally  dipped  into 
his  purse,  and  he  merely  expected  a  request  for  a  loan 
which  he  was  quite  ready  to  grant  ;  so  he  quietly  folded 
the  letter  and  addressed  the  bearer  of  it. 

"  Your  name  is —  ?  " 

"  Magloire,  with  your  permission." 

"  Certainly,  certainly  !  You  are  given  an  excellent 
character.  Get  an  apron  from  Gertrude." 

And  then  M.  Quies  resumed  his  pen. 

"  H'm,  h'm — I  was  saying,  its  primitive  form,  unless  the 
rust,  by  altering  the  angles  of  an  accidental  fracture,  may 
have — " 

"  Ha !  It  seems  that  Monsieur  has  travelled." 

Quies,  rather  startled  at  this  unexpected  interruption, 
turned  round  and  found  himself  face  to  face  with  his  new 
man-servant,  who  was  closely  examining  a  knotted  club 
which  he  had  taken  down  from  the  wall. 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfeS. 


37 


"  You  were  saying —  ?  " 

"  I  said  Monsieur  has  travelled  ;  one  may  see  that  by 
only  looking  at  the  walls  of  the  study.  Oh,  travel,  sir, 
travel !  I  was  born  to  travel !  For  a  man  like  Dr.  Living- 
stone, I  would  have  let  myself  be  cut  in  little  pieces !  It  is 
so  delightful  to  tread  a  soil  on  which  nobody  else  has  ever 
set  foot,  to  give  one's  own  name  to  islands,  gulfs,  lakes ! 
Ah,  foreign  travel  for  me  !  " 


Ha  !  it  seems  that  Monsieur  has  travelled. 


Magloire  took  the  look  with  which  the  doctor  regarded 
him,  albeit  a  very  significant  grimace,  for  a  smile  of  appro- 
bation, and  subsiding  easily  into  an  armchair  he  went 
on  :  — 

"Just  as  you  see  me,  sir,  I  learned  to  read  in  the 
voyages  of  Captain  Cook,  and  I  may  say  that  I  have  pro- 
fited by  them.  Geography  and  I  are  old  acquaintances. 


38  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Ah.  you  shall  see  me  at  work  next  time  you  go  exploring ; 
for  it  seems  Monsieur  is  a  savant." 

Quies  considered  awhile  whether  this  was  not  the 
proper  moment  at  which  to  assert  his  authority  by 
sending  Magloire  to  the  kitchen  ;  but  as  it  was  his  custom 
never  to  do  anything  lightly,  he  merely  paid  no  attention, 
but  took  up  his  pen  to  write.  Nevertheless  his  hand 
trembled  slightly. 

"  5.  No.  20.     A  pointed  spear-head,  which — ' 

Meanwhile,  though  he  continued  to  write,  he  was  obliged 
in  spite  of  himself  to  hear  what  Magloire  was  saying,  for 
the  man  went  on  talking  with  serene  indifference  to  his 
master's  occupation. 

"  It  is  an  incomprehensible  thing — I  am  sure  Monsieur 
agrees  with  me — that  man,  placed  upon  a  ball  so  small  as 
the  earth,  should  die  without  knowing  even  that  little  space. 
In  these  days  especially  ;  it's  so  easy !  It  is  no  greater 
feat  to  travel  five  hundred  leagues  than  to  drink  a  glass  of 
water  ;  you  can  go  all  round  the  world  without  having  time 
to  think  about  it,  and  anywhere  you  like  with  a  dozen  shirts 
and  a  good  lump  of  mon'ey.  I  am  very  glad  that  Monsieur 
has  travelled." 

"  Magloire  ? " 

"  Sir  ? " 

"  You  see  I  am  writing  ?  " 

"  And  I  am  sure  that  what  Monsieur  writes  is  most 
interesting.  When  one  has  done  a  great  deal,  one  has  a 
great  deal  to  tell.  When  you  have  finished  your  narrative, 
sir,  if  you  will  do  me  the  honour  to  ask  my  opinion  of  it, 
I  am  vain  enough  to  think  that  I  may  not  be  altogether 
useless." 

"  Really,  Magloire  !  However,  in  the  meantime,  will  you 
have  the  goodness  to  do  a  little  dusting.  It  is  especially  for 
that  purpose  you  are  engaged  at  fifty  francs  a  month, 
counting  from  to-day." 

"  Oh,  sir,"  said  Magloire,  "  the  pen  and  the  dusting, 
brush  (la  plume  et  le  plumeaii)  have  the  same  origin  ; 


DR.  J.    B.   QUlfcS.  39 

there  is  no  more  dishonour  in  using  the  one  than    the 
other." 

With  this  reply,  equally  humorous  and  philosophical, 
Magloire  rose,  and  before  setting  to  work  cast  a  scrutiniz- 
ing eye  upon  the  room  which  was  henceforth  to  be  his 
own  special  care. 

The  walls  were  hung  with  arms  and  curiosities  from 
foreign  lands,  presented  to  the  doctor  as  marks  of  the 
esteem  and  respect  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  numerous 
correspondents.  The  book-cases,  which  occupied  one  side, 
were  filled  with  books,  pamphlets,  maps  and  prints. 

Specimens  of  the  rarest  kinds  in  the  three  kingdoms  of 
Nature  were  arranged  behind  glass  doors,  which  were  care- 
fully closed.  Lastly,  on  a  Japanese  stool,  in  one  corner, 
was  placed  a  very  handsome  chess-board,  covered  with  its 
pieces,  carved  in  ivory  by  some  patient  Chinaman,  so  ex- 
quisitely that  he  must  have  passed  his  lifetime  in  the 
execution  of  the  set 

Magloire  was  not  a  man  to  pass  such  a  thing  by  un- 
noticed. He  paused  before  the  chess-board.  All  the 
pieces  were  in  their  places.  Wishing  to  examine  the 
board  in  detail,  Magloire  gently  removed  the  black 
queen,  closely  inspected  the  piece,  and  approached  the 
doctor. 

"  This  is  very  valuable  ? "  said  he — "  Monsieur  is  aware 
of  that?" 

Quies  looked  up,  saw  the  piece  in  Magloire's  hand, 
snatched  it  from  him  angrily,  and  pointing  to  the  door, 
said, — 

"The  deuce  take  you  !  I  dismiss  you  with  your  week's 
wages.  Be  off  to  the  kitchen.  Gertrude  will  pay  you." 

"  I  beg  to  observe,  sir — 

"  You  shall  be  paid  your  week." 

Magloire  shrugged  his  shoulders,  muttered  "  He's  mad," 
and  left  the  room. 

Doctor  J.  B.  Quies  was  crimson  with  rage.  If  any  one 
had  told  the  doctor  and  Magloire  that  they  were  ever  to 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


meet  again,  great  would  have  been  the  surprise  of  both. 
It  was,  however,  so  decreed. 

For  the  right  understanding  of  the  emotion  with  which 
Doctor  Quies  was  overpowered  for  fully  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  after  the  departure  of  Magloire,  it  is  indispensable  to 
know  that  being  a  great  lover  of  the  game  of  chess,  which 
he  rightly  regarded  rather  as  a  science  than  an  amuse- 
ment, he  had  competed  with  the  best  players  in  Europe, 


"  I  dismiss  you  with  your  week's  wages." 

and  was  at  the  present  time  finishing  one  of  the  most 
interesting  games  he  had  ever  played,  by  correspondence, 
with  Mynheer  Poggenbeck,  of  Haarlem. 

The  urgent  matter  now  was  to  find  the  place  from  which 
the  black  queen  had  been  dislodged  by  Magloire 

The  doctor  scratched  his  head,  hesitated,  finally  took 
up  his  pen  and  wrote, — • 

"  MY  DEAR  ADVERSARY,— An  unlucky  accident  has  dis- 


DR.   J.   B.   QUltS.  41 

turbed  one  of  the  pieces  on  my  board.  I  think  I  have 
played  D.  7  R.  Let  me  know  by  return  of  post  whether 
this  is  the  move." 

He  folded  the  letter,  rang  for  Gertrude,  and  without 
giving  a  thought  to  the  sale  of  the  farm  of  La  Cochariotte, 
he  went  gravely  on  with  his  description  of  the  spear- 
head, which  was  to  make  it  as  clear  as  daylight  that  Saint- 
Pignon  les  Girouettes  was  a  fortified  town  of  the  first  class 
in  the  year  of  grace  450. 


42  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PROVING  THAT  IF  TWENTY  LITTLE  RIVULETS  MAKE 
A  BIG  RIVER,  A  THOUSAND  PIN-PRICKS  ARE  EQUAL 
TO  A  SWORD-THRUST. 

WHILE  the  doctor,  smiling  and  calm,  was  pursuing  his 
labours,  M.  Anthime  Bonamy,  one  of  the  wealthy  citizens 
of  Saint-Pignon,  an  influential  elector,  a  member  of  the 
Geographical,  Numismatical,  and  Archaeological  Society, 
and  a  correspondent  of  several  other  learned  bodies,  re- 
entered  his  own  house  in  a  rage. 

M.  Anthime  Bonamy  was  a  tall,  thin,  solemn  personage. 
Every  day  he  was  dressed  in  black,  every  day  he  wore  a 
white  necktie,  spectacles  on  his  nose,  and  an  air  of  gravity  ; 
but  on  this  particular  day,  although  he  was  in  a  rage,  he 
was  graver  than  usual.  His  thin  lips  were  so  tightly 
closed  that  his  mouth  looked  like  a  slit  made  with  a  pen- 
knife underneath  his  nose  ;  and  that  long,  sharp  nose, 
reddened  with  anger,  seemed  to  share  in  the  general 
disturbance. 

"  It  is  infamous  !  "  exclaimed  Anthime,  bursting  like  a 
rocket  into  the  room  where  Mme.  Bonamy,  his  wife  (her 
maiden  name  was  Legras),  sat  at  her  needlework. 

"  What  is  the  matter  now  ?  " 

"The  matter  is  that  I  have  been  done  out  of  La 
Cochariotte  by  a  bid  of  one  hundred  francs.  Do  you  hear 
that?  One  hundred  francs  !  And  again  it  is  that  fellow 
Quies  who  has  cut  the  ground  from  under  my  feet." 

"Pray  be  calm,  Anthime." 

"  Be  calm,  indeed  !     Can't  you  understand  that  I  shall 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


43 


have  no  rest  until  the  day  comes  when  I  shall  be  rid  of  this 
detested  rival  ? " 

"  The  rivalry  is  only  accidental." 

"He  appears  not  to  meddle  with  me,  but  I  know  what 
he  is  capable  of.  I  know  the  man  from  A  to  Z." 


M.  Eonamy  stalked  majestically  into  his  study. 

"  I  think  he  is  very  inoffensive." 

"  Madam,"  said  M.  Bonamy,  drawing  himself  up,  "  never 
say  that  again  in  my  presence." 

Mme.  Bonamy  bent  over  her  work,  and  M.  Bonamy 
stalked  majestically  into  his  study. 


44  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Those  few  words  exchanged  between  the  husband  and 
wife  show  that  M.  Bonamy  cordially  hated  Doctor  Quies, 
who  had  not  the  least  notion  that  he  had  an  enemy  in  all 
Saint- Pignon  les  Girouettes,  and  was,  if  possible,  still 
farther  from  suspecting  how  he  could  have  given  rise  to 
such  an  animosity. 

We  shall  be  able  to  understand  and  explain  it,  if  we  do 
but  take  the  trouble  to  remember  that  one  drop  of  water 
has  only  to  meet  other  drops  of  water  on  its  way,  to 
become  a  river  or  a  torrent. 

The  large  sum' of  M.  Bonamy's  enmity  was  composed  of 
a  thousand  petty  spites,  which,  though  all  puerile  and  in- 
significant in  themselves,  had  been  accumulating  for  a 
long  time  ;  for  we  must  go  back  to  the  schooldays  of  both 
the  hater  and  the  hated  if  we  would  see  the  figures 
that  head  the  first  column  of  the  account. 

Anthime,  plodding  and  eager,  had  been  beaten  by 
Baptistin  always  and  in  everything.  Prize  for  compo- 
sition, verses,  history,  mathematics  ;  Baptistin  ;  Accessit : 
Anthime. 

If  cuffs  were  exchanged,  Anthime  got  the  most  of 
them.  If  the  wrath  of  a  master  was  aroused  by  some 
misdeed  whose  author  was  unknown,  Anthime  was  charged 
with  it.  Baptistin  was  not  even  suspected. 

Anthime  finished  his  studies  and  left  the  school  unper- 
ceived,  absolutely  ignored.  At  the  same  time  nothing  but 
Baptistin  was  talked  about  all  over  the  town. 

Shortly  afterwards  Anthime,  who  wished  to  marry,  cast 
his  eyes  upon  one  of  the  best  matches  in  Saint-Pignon, 
Mdlle.  Duclos.  His  parents  had  selected  Mdlle.  Legras  as 
a  wife  for  him.  The  Legras  family,  on  their  side,  preferred 
Baptistin.  If  Baptistin  would  marry  Mdlle.  Legras,  then 
Anthime  could  marry  Mdlle.  Duclos.  Unfortunately 
Baptistin  positively  refused,  and  out  of  spite  Mdlle.  Legras 
became  Mme.  Bonamy. 

There  are  things  which  it  is  difficult  to  forget. 

Before  this  unpleasant  impression  had  had  time  to  wear 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfcS.  45 

off,  the  deplorable  influence  of  Baptistin  again  made  itself 
felt. 

Anthime,  whose  name  had  long  figured  upon  the  list  of 
future  members  of  the  Geographical  Society  of  Saint- 
Pignon,  thought  himself  sure  of  the  vacant  armchair,  when 
M.  Quies  was  elected  to  it  by  a  unanimous  vote. 

It  was  not  until  three  years  later  that  a  similar  honour 
was  awarded  to  M.  Bonamy. 

In  short,  Quies  always  came  between -him  and  his  aim. 
On  the  great  race  course  of  life  Quies  had  a  quarter  of  an 
hour's  start  of  him.  Let  his  pace  be  what  it  would, 
Anthime  always  came  in  second — and  a  bad  second. 

Hence  the  animosity  which  we  have  recorded,  and  which 
only  wanted  an  opportunity  to  manifest  itself. 

Anthime's  heart  was  full  of  gall ;  another  drop  and  it 
would  overflow. 

At  five  o'clock  he  took  his  place  at  table,  opposite  to 
Athenai's,  as  usual  ;  but  the  farm  of  La  Cochariotte  was 
evidently  in  his  thoughts  still,  for  he  put  his  spoon  into 
the  plate  of  soup  that  was  set  before  him,  and  said 
angrily  — 

"  What  is  this  ? " 

"  Milk-soup." 

"  Milk-soup  ! — when  you  know  perfectly  well  that  I 
cannot  endure  milk  !  " 

"  But,  Anthime " 

"Milk-soup  !  A  hit,  I  suppose,  at  my  quick  temper? 
You  might  bear  in  mind  that  you  are  not  absolutely 
perfect  yourself,  Athena'is." 

"  If  I  forget  the  fact,  it  is  not  for  want  of  hearing 
you  repeat  it." 

"  That  is  to  say  that  I  don't  behave  well  to  you  ;  that  I 
am  a  brute,  a  tyrant,  because  my  patience  breaks  down 
sometimes  ?  Why,  a  saint  would  not  be  able  to  put  up 
with  you  sometimes.  However,  it  is  in  the  family." 

"  Sir  !  "  exchimed  Madame  Bonamy,  highly  indignant. 

"  Well,  what  ?    What  have  I  said  ?    Milk-soup,  indeed  !  " 


46  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  Do  hold  your  tongue  ;  the  maid  is  coming  into  the 
room." 

''  The  maid,  indeed  !  I'm  not  to  speak  before  her,  am  I 
not  ?  Much  I  think  about  her  !  " 

"  If  Monsieur  is  not  satisfied  with  me — ,"  said  the 
woman,  who  had  overheard  his  last  words. 

"What's  all  this?  What's  all  that?  No,  certainly  I 
am  not  satisfied  with  you." 

"  Monsieur  has  only  to  say  so." 

"  I  do  say  so  ;  you  can  go  away." 

"  I  shall  await  my  mistress's  orders." 

With  these  contemptuous  words  the  maid  went  out  of 
the  room,  as  noisily  as  possible,  leaving  the  wedded  pair 
with  a  leg  of  mutton,  burnt  in  the  roasting,  on  the  table 
before  them. 

"You  see,  madam,  you  see  the  very  servants  know  that 
you  will  support  them  against  me.  I  am  respected  by 
nobody,  thanks  to  you.  Ah,  Quies,  Quies,  you  shall  pay 
for  this  ! " 

He  rose  from  the  table  without  carving  the  joint,  and 
locked  himself  up  in  his  study. 

"  It  must  end,"  he  muttered  ;  "  it  must  end  !  Always 
J.  B.  Quies  !  How  does  this  fellow,  a  snail  never  out 
of  its  shell,  contrive  to  plant  himself  in  the  middle  of 
my  path  ?  A  savant  indeed !  I  am  a  savant,  ay,  and 
savantissime  in  omni  re  scibili,  just  as  much  as  this  Doctor 
Pancratius,  and  I  will  prove  it  to  him.  There  lies  my 
revenge  ! " 

Then,  becoming  suddenly  calm,  he  approached  his 
writing-table  with  the  dignity  of  a  Rector  followed  by 
the  four  Faculties,  opened  one  of  the  drawers,  and  took 
out  some  medals,  which,  judging  by  the  verdigris  that  had 
accumulated  upon  them,  were  of  considerable  antiquity. 
He  repeated,  "  There  lies  my  revenge !  " 

M.  Bonamy  seated  himself  in  a  stately  manner,  turned 
back  his  coat-cuffs,  passed  his  fingers  through  his  hair, 
and  wrote  as  follows  : — 


DR.   J.   B.   QUI&S. 


47 


"  I  entertain  no  doubt,  gentlemen,  that,  after  having 
examined  the  curious  documents  which  I  have  the  honour 
to  submit  to  you,  you  will  be  struck  with  the  probability  of 
my  conclusions,  which  rest  on — 


M.  Bonamy  passed  his  fingers  through  his  hair,  and  wrote. 

"i.  The  four  medals  catalogued  under  No.  13.  Although 
it  is  true  the  effigies  have  entirely  disappeared,  we  cannot 
fail  to  recognize  these  medals  as  belonging  to  that  period 
of  our  history. 


48  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  2.  T  he  three  spear-heads  of  whose  authenticity  no  doubt 
can  exist  in  minds  so  cultivated  as  yours. 

"  3.  The  horse-shoe  catalogued  under  No.  8,  and  still  bear- 
ing a  date  which  almost  seems  to  corroborate  my  assertions. 

"Therefore,  gentlemen,  I  unhesitatingly  claim  to  be  the 
first  person  who  has  authoritatively  demonstrated  that  in 
A.D.  450,  that  is  to  say,  in  the  time  of  Attila,  Saint-Pignon 
les  Girouettes  was  a  fortified  place." 

If  some  evil  genius  had  apprised  M.  Bonamy  that  Doctor 
J.  B.  Quies  was  in  the  act  of  writing  the  same  sentence  at 
the  same  hour,  this  last  pin-prick  would  probably  have 
proved  fatal,  or  if  he  had  not  died  of  it  he  would  have 
planned  some  frightful  crime. 

Happily  he  knew  nothing  of  it — as  yet. 


DR.  J.   B.  QUlfcS.  49 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  GRAIN   OF   SAND   IN   A  WATCH. 

Two  more  days  had  fallen  into  the  bottomless  gulf  of 
eternity.  (How  a  classic  would  enjoy  that  sentence  !)  It 
was  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Henri  had  just  come  in 
after  a  long  day's  shooting,  fully  half  an  hour  late,  eager  to 
excuse  himself  for  this  breach  of  the  chronometrical 
customs  of  the  house,  and  also  ready  to  do  honour  to  the 
dinner,  which,  indeed,  he  had  well  earned.  A  hare  and  two 
pheasants  ! 

What  was  his  surprise  to  find  the  doctor  standing  upon 
the  doorsteps.  Henri  made  sure  that  he  would  have  been 
far  on  the  way  through  his  dinner  by  this  time.  The 
worthy  doctor  appeared  to  be  greatly  upset  by  some  un- 
expected event.  His  kindly  fat  cheeks,  usually  so  fresh  and 
ruddy,  were  suffused  with  a  livid  hue  ;  the  rest  of  his  face 
was  dead  white.  His  eyes,  which  were  very  wide  open, 
glittered  feverishly  behind  his  spectacles. 

It  was  evident  that  something  in  the  mechanism  of 
Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  had  given  way. 

We  say  "  mechanism,"  because  no  other  word  is  appli- 
cable to  natures  mathematically  organized  like  his.  But, 
for  the  reason  that  they  are  so  accurately  framed,  a  mere 
nothing  destroys  them.  Imagine  the  finest  chronometer 
.that  could  be  constructed,  with  the  most  delicate  move- 
ment, and  let  a  grain  of  sand,  nay,  even  a  grain  of  dust, 
fall  into  it,  the  machinery  will  stop  suddenly,  and  the 
hands  will  mark  midday  at  five  o'clock. 

Thus  it  was  with  Doctor  J.  B.  Quies.  In  all  cases  of 
4 


50  THE  STARTLING  EXPLOITS  OF 

vexation  or  emotion  he  multiplied  everything  by  ten. 
Everything  was  a  grain  of  sand  or  a  grain  of  dust,  and  he 
had  often  been  depressed  to  the  point  of  wishing  himself 
dead  by  the  merest  trifle. 

This  time,  however,  trouble  was  so  plainly  to  be  read  in 
his  face  that  Henri  could  not  but  exclaim, — 

"  What  on  earth  has  happened  to  you  ?  " 

"  A  catastrophe,"  answered  Quies,  in  a  lamentable 
voice. 

"  What  is  it  ?  Tell  me  at  once  !  "  said  Henri,  who  was 
seriously  uneasy. 

The  doctor's  sole  reply  was  to  hand  him  an  open  letter. 
It  was  only  by  look  and  gesture  that  he  bade  Henri  read 
the  missive. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — I  had  prepared  you  ;  it  is  over. 
For  just  a  week  I  have  been  the  father  of  a  fine  boy,  whom 
I  mean  to  christen  by  the  name  of  Baptistin.  To  tell  you 
this  is  to  tell  you  that  you  are  to  be  his  godfather.  The 
christening  is  fixed  for  the  I2th  instant.  Pack  your  valise 
and  come. 

"  You  bring  our  dear  Henri  with  you  :  that  goes  without 
saying.  I  have  also  written  to  that  old  stick  Anthime  ;  he 
is  not  much  good,  but  one  likes  him  all  the  same. 

"You  will  do  your  thirty  leagues  together.  Divided 
into  three,  the  distance  is  only  ten  leagues  apiece.  You 
will  not  refuse  this  small  kindness  to  your  faithful  and 
attached 

"  C.  VERNET,  (called)  LA  CARRIOLE." 

"  P.S. — I  shall  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to 
submit  to  your  inspection,  and  to  leave  in  your  possession 
if  you  care  for  them,  some  old  medals  which  have  been 
found  on  the  verge  of  the  forest.  I  have  no  idea  of  their 
value,  and  am  inclined  to  think  they  have  none,  except  ta 
an  antiquary  of  your  calibre.  Bring  a  magnifier/' 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Henri. 

'•  Well !  you  say,  '  well  ? '     You  don't  understand  ?     La 


DR.  J.   B.  QUlfcS.  51 

Carriole  is  my  oldest  companion,  my  best  friend  ;  his  father 
was  the  friend  of  mine.  La  Carriole  will  never  forgive  me." 

"  You  refuse,  then  ?  " 

"  To  be  godfather  ?  Not  at  all.  On  the  contrary,  I 
accept  most  willingly." 

"  Well,  what  is  it,  then  ?  " 

"  I  refuse  to  make  the  journey." 

"  Impossible  ;  you  cannot  do  such  a  thing." 

"  Thirty  leagues  !  You  little  know  how  much  thirty 
leagues  are." 

"  One  hundred  and  twenty  kilometers,  no  more." 

"  Just  one  hundred,  nineteen  and  a  half  too  many." 

"  You  will  consider  the  matter,  doctor  ?  " 

"  I  have  considered  it.  I  will  not  go.  *  I  should  have  an 
illness  after  the  journey.  Ah,  this  is  really  a  sad  business, 
to  lose  a  friend  of  twenty  years'  standing. 

"  You'll  lose  a  good  many  more  friends  at  the  rate  you're 
going,"  remarked  Gertrude,  who  had  just  appeared  on 
the  scene  ;  "  you  are  too  selfish  !  " 

"  You  know  perfectly  well,  Gertrude,  that  my  constitu- 
tion will  not  stand  knocking  about  from  place  to  place." 

Gertrude  merely  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  left  the 
room,  saying : 

"  Dinner  is  on  the  table." 

While  the  meal  was  in  progress,  Quies  never  opened  his 
lips  except  for  the  purpose  of  eating,  and  even  in  that 
cause  he  showed  less  zeal  than  usual.  He  was  not  alto- 
gether at  ease  with  his  conscience  ;  it  repeated  Gertrude's 
words,  "  You  are  too  selfish." 

But  another  voice,  and  this  one  seemed  to  speak  out  of 
the  very  depths  of  his  being,  cried  : 

"  Thirty  leagues !  One  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
yards ! 

"  Five  hours'  journey,  not  counting  delays  and  stops  ! 

"Five  hours  of  fatigues,  of  jolts,  of  shaking  !  And  then 
the  possible  accidents  ;  trains  getting  o.T  the  line,  awful 
collisions,  carriages  upset,  &c.,  &c." 


52  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Doctor  Quies  shuddered,  and  said  to  himself : 

"  No,  positively  I  will  not  go." 

All  the  evening  he  kept  on  saying  to  himself  and  to  the 
others  : 

"  I  ought  to  go,  but,  on  consideration,  I  will  not  go. 
Nevertheless,  I  ought  to  go." 

Saying  these  words  he  fell  asleep,  and  dreamed  a  terrible 
dream. 

Seated  in  a  vehicle  of  strange  construction,  and  drawn 
by  fantastic  birds,  he  was  carried  at  furious  speed  towards 
an  unknown  region.  Whirlwinds  surrounded,  and  dreadful 
bellowings  terrified  him.  The  more  he  tugged  at  the  reins 
of  his  diabolical  coursers,  the  faster  they  went.  Faster ! 
always  faster !  £le  was  suffocating,  and  his  hair  stood 
upright  on  his  head,  every  moment  he  expected  some 
obstacle  to  rise  up  before  him,  against  which  his  won- 
drous equipage  and  himself  must  be  dashed  to  pieces. 
But  no,  space,  always  space,  only  space,  stretched  be 
fore  him.  And  his  indefatigable  coursers  redoubled  their 
speed !  He  stretched  out  his  arm  to  catch  at  some- 
thing in  passing^  by  which  he  might  hold  on  and  arrest 
this  horrid  headlong  course,  but  there  was  nothing.  He 
ceased  to  breathe.  A  moment  more,  and  his  little 
remaining  strength  would  be  exhausted.  A  moment 
more,  and  he  must  die,  stifled  in  that  great  tunnel  of  air, 
with  not  a  breath  to  reach  his  lungs  He  made  one 
supreme  effort  to  cry  out,  to  call  for  assistance,  and  awoke. 

"  Ah,  no  ;  a  thousand  times  no  !  "  he  said  ;  "  I  will  not 
go." 

He  lay  down  again,  and  so  strong  was  his  resolution  this 
time  that  he  slept  soundly  until  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  At  breakfast  he  was  quite  gay  and  happy  at 
having  come  to  a  resolution  so  much  in  accordance  with 
his  inclination  and  his  tastes.  He  reflected  that  after  all 
Commandant  La  Carriole  could  not  desire  his  death,  and 
would  not  bear  him  any  resentment ;  in  short,  he  found 
such  valid  excuses  that  he  ended — such  is  the  invariable 


DR.   J.    B.    QUlfeS.  53 

history  of  human  failings — by  absolving  himself,  and  being 
persuaded  that  everybody  else  would  absolve  him. 

He  had,  however,  reckoned  without  Gertrude,  who  had 
said  to  Henri  on  the  previous  evening  : 

"  He  shall  go  !  If  he  doesn't  I  will  raise  the  town  against 
him." 

The  doctor  was  eating  his  last  mouthful  when  Gertrude 
came  in. 

"  Monsieur  has  quite  made  up  his  mind  ?  "  she  asked 
demurely. 

"  About  what,  Gertrude  ?  " 

"  About  not  going  to  the  christening  ?" 

"  Quite,  Gertrude." 

"  The  town  will  take  it  very  ill." 

"  I  do  not  trouble  myself  about  what  my  fellow-citizens 
do  ;  cannot  they  in  their  turn " 

"  Oh,  you  can  do  as  you  like.  But  it  hurts  my  feelings, 
when  I  am  doing  my  marketing,  to  hear  it  said,  as  I  did 
this  morning,  "  M.  Quies  is  this,  M.  Quies  is  that — " 

"  We  must  let  them  have  their  say,  Gertrude." 

"  Of  course  we  must,  and  it  is  just  that  which  vexes  me. 
I  can't  defend  you,  because  what  they  say  is  quite 
right." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed  I  do,  sir.  And  you  see,  sir,  when  one  can 
no  longer  depend  upon  one's  master  it  is  better  to  part." 

"  What's  that  you  say,  Gertrude  ?  " 

"  I  say  that  if  Monsieur  does  not  go  to  the  christening  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  leave  his  service." 

"  Ah,  ah  ! " 

Gertrude  looked  covertly  at  her  master,  who  had  put 
down  his  fork  and  was  twirling  his  thumbs,  in  evidently 
painful  hesitation. 

"  Well,  well,  my  poor  Gertrude,"  said  he  at  length,  "  I 
have  no  right  to  keep  you.  You  must  do  as  you  like." 

"  Oh,"  muttered  Catherine,  shocked  and  amazed, 
"  oh  ! ! ! " 


54  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

And  then  she  disappeared,  being  unable  to  add  a  word 
to  this  shower  of  notes  of  exclamation. 

The  doctor  rose  from  the  breakfast-table,  and  strolled 
out  into  his  garden  to  escape  from  the  annoying  impres- 
sion of  this  domestic  incident. 

All  the  flowers  in  the  flower-beds  were  smiling  their 
welcome  to  the  sun,  and,  lightly  shaken  by  the  morning 
breeze,  they  diffused  a  delicious  and  penetrating  perfume. 
The  good  doctor,  who  usually  inhaled  the  scent  of  his  be- 
loved flowers  with  delight,  seemed  mournfully  insensible 
on  the  present  occasion  to  the  attractions  of  the  fair  and 
home-like  scene. 

Gertrude's  leaving  him  was  an  important  event.  Ger- 
trude knew  of  old  all  his  little  ways.  Gertrude  left  dust 
and  papers  alike  undisturbed  ;  she  had  no  mania  for  the 
use  of  the  feather  brush.  Gertrude  was  invaluable.  Yes 
— but  thirty  leagues,  the  fantastic  carriage,  the  winged 
coursers  of  his  dream  ! " 

"  No,  no,  decidedly  I  will  not  go." 

And  the  doctor,  after  having  heaved  a  last  sigh  to  the 
memory  of  Gertrude's  usefulness,  re-entered  his  study. 

There  he  found  M.  Anthime  Bonamy  awaiting  him, 
black  coated,  wearing  a  white  tie,  and  ominously  grave. 

"  It  appears,"  he  began,  "  my  dear  Quies,  that  our  good 
friend  the  Commandant  has  a  son." 

"  Yes,  it  is  so,"  said  Quies,  much  surprised. 

"  Whom  he  means  to  call  Baptistin  ?  " 

"If  such  is  his  idea " 

"It  appears  also  that  you  refuse  to  present  the  child  at 
the  baptismal  font  ?  " 

"  Well,  yes." 

"  You  know  this  is  talked  of  ?  " 

"  Ah  ! " 

"And  very  much  talked  of?" 

"  I  can't  help  that." 

"  You  will  not  go  ? " 

"  Certainly  not." 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfcS.  55 

"  I  shall  then  be  obliged,  my  dear  Quies,  in  order  not  to 
come  in  for  a  share  of  public  reprobation  in  this  affair — " 

"Reprobation.     Oh!  Oh!" 

"  To  see  you  less  frequently/' 

"  You  need  not  see  me  except  when  it  pleases  you  to  do 
so.  And,  let  me  say,  without  reproach " 

"  I  come  here  but  little,  from  discretion." 

"Just  so." 

"  I  shall  be  obliged  not  to  come  at  all,  from  respect  for 
public  opinion." 

"  Ah  ! " 

Anthime  bowed  coldly,  opened  the  door  coldly,  and 
went  out  coldly,  leaving  Dr.  Quies  confounded  and  grieved. 

He  believed  in  the  friendship  of  M.  Bonamy,  and  to  lose 
it  was  a  trial.  True,  but  thirty  leagues  meant  a  trial  of  a 
far  more  severe  kind  !  He  struck  the  name  of  M.  Anthime 
Bonamy  off  his  mental  list  of  friends,  wondering  the  while 
how  so  trifling  an  affair  had  come  to  assume  such  large 
proportions. 

Was  he  to  be  shunned  as  a  leper  because  he  refused 
to — but  no,  the  thing  was  absurd. 

Perhaps  it  was,  "nevertheless  the  fact  was  so,  or  seemed  to 
be  so.  Gertrude  had  made  her  arrangements  to  that  effect. 

After  M.  Bonamy  came  M.  de  Prechafoin,  President  of 
the  Society  of  Numismatics  and  Archaeology  of  Saint- 
Pignon,  to  endeavour  to  make  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  understand 
how  much  his  refusal  was  to  be  regretted  and  blamed. 

M.  de  Prechafoin,  a  dry  little  chip  of  a  man,  as  thin 
as  Anthime,  whom  he  resembled  in  more  respects  than 
one,  owed  his  lofty  position  neither  to  his  personal  merits, 
which  were  nil,  nor  to  his  fortune,  which  was  small,  nor 
indeed  to  anything  of  weight  or  importance.  He  was 
President  of  the  Society  of,  etc.,  etc.,  Member  of,  etc.,  etc., 
and  many  other  things,  simply  because  he  wore  gold 
spectacles. 

The  influence  of  a  pair  of  gold  spectacles  is  extra- 
ordinary ;  it  gives  a  man  a  position  at  once. 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


The  fact  is,  a  man  does  not  take  to  wearing  gold  spec- 
tacles until  he  has  acquired  a  high  idea  of  his  own  import- 
ance ;  and  having  done  that  he  cannot  fail  to  let  some 
reference  to  it  escape  him,  if  only  in  a  few  words,  which 
being  repeated  and  added  to,  finally  establish  his  celebrity. 

M.  de  Prechafoin  was  not  absolutely  devoid  of  tact,  and 
he  acquitted  himself  of  his  delicate  errand  with  every  kind 


M.  de  Prechafoin. 

of  precaution.  Quies  pleaded  his  stoutness,  and  asserted 
that  travelling  is  an  exercise  to  be  avoided  when  one 
weighs  over  one  hundred  and  ten  kilograms. 

M.  de  Prechafoin  replied  that  Dr.  Quies  owed  a  duty  to 
science  ;  that  the  medals  alluded  to  by  Commandant  La 
Carriole  might  possibly  be  of  inestimable  value  from  the 
archaeological  point  of  view.  To  absent  himself  was  more 
than  weakness,  and  the  doctor's  refusal  might  bring  about 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  57 

a  rupture  between  himself  and  the  learned  Society  of 
Saint-Pignon. 

Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  dismissed  M.  de  Prechafoin  politely. 

Mme.  Ragot  had  no  better  success  ;  the  forsaken  doctor 
seemed  to  take  his  ostracism  with  great  resignation,  and  the 
scandal  spread  apace. 

The  whole  town  declared  that,  notwithstanding  his  scien- 
tific eminence,  Doctor  J.  B.  Quies  was  a  man  on  whom 
no  one  could  depend,  since  the  mere  fear  of  a  few  hours' 
fatigue  sufficed  to  prevent  him  from  rendering  so  slight  a 
service  to  his  oldest  friend. 

Would  he  go  ?  Would  he  not  go  ?  These  were  the 
burning  questions  of  the  day.  Sides  were  taken  for  and 
against  ;  there  was  the  party  of  Aye,  there  was  the  party 
of  No.  In  short  no  diplomatic  note  ever  produced  such  an 
effect. 

Saint-Pignon  was  in  a  volcanic  condition. 

The  christening  was  fixed  for  the  I2th  of  September. 
Up  to  the  Qth  the  doctor  held  out.  An  ultimatum  which 
amounted,  to  no  less  than  boycotting  him,  was  tendered  to 
him  by  his  cousin  the  widow,  in  the  names  of  ( the  family 
and  his  friends. 

The  doctor  held  out. 

On  the  morning  of  the  roth,  Henri  accosted  him. 

"  It's  for  the  day  after  to-morrow,  Doctor." 

"  After  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  The  christening." 

"  Ah — yes  !  "  muttered  Quies. 

"  I  shall  be  greatly  grieved  personally  if  you  persist  in 
your  refusal." 

"  But— my  boy— 

"  It  would  be  a  great  sorrow  to  me  to  leave  you." 

"  What  ?     What  are  you  saying  ? " 

"  My  mother  has  given  me  to  understand  that  if  you 
don't  go — 

"  She  too  ! "  groaned  Quies,  quite  confounded. 

Henri  laughed  covertly. 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


The  doctor  was  half  choked  by  his  feelings.  The  loss 
of  his  housekeeper  ;  the  loss  of  his  seat  as  a  member  of  the 
learned  society  of  Saint-Pignon,  he  might  disregard  ;  to  lose 
the  friendship  of  M.  Bonamy  was  very  well ;  to  lose  Mme. 
Ragot,  good  ;  but,  to  lose  Henri !  No,  that  was  too  much. 


The  departure  of  Dr.  Quies. 

Doctor  J.  B.  Quies  gave  in — worse  luck  for  him  ! 

It  was  not,  however,  as  will  easily  be  believed,  without  a 
great  mental  struggle,  that  he  presented  himself  on  the 
following  morning  at  the  railway-station,  accompanied  by 
Anthime  and  Henri. 

What  a  journey ! 


DR.   J.   B.    QUltS. 


59 


He  would  have  to  reach  Paris,  get  out  of  the  train,  get 
into  another  train  on  a  second  line  of  railway,  and  after- 
wards travel  three  leagues  in  a  diligence  in  order  to  arrive 
at  Plessis-les-Assoux,  the  little  village  in  the  department 
of  Seine-et-Marne  in  which  Commandant  La  Carriole 
resided. 

Quies  embraced  Gertrude,  his  cousin  Mme.  Ragot,  Mme. 
de  Malleville,  and  even  the  station-master,  after  the  manner 
of  a  man  who  was  never  again  to  behold  his  native  land. 

Alas  !  The  proverb  which  says  that  "  Songe  est  men- 
songe  "  is  not  of  invariable  application. 


6o 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Attila, 

Attila, 

Pour  sur  a  pass£  par  la. 

( Well-known  air.) 

WE    have  not    thought   it  necessary   to   investigate    the 

origin  of  the  odd 
addition  of  La  Car- 
riole to  the  name 
of  Commandant 
Vernet,  but  we  en- 
tertain little  doubt 
that  it  might  be 
traced  to  a  barrack- 
room  jest.  The 
bearer  of  it  was  a 
short,  thin,  active 
little  man,  with  a 
moustache  which 
i  entirely  concealed 
his  mouth,  and 
might  have  been 
coveted  by  a  fol- 
lower of  Vercin- 
getorix,  thick  hair, 
frowning  brows,  and 
a  fierce,  hard,  in- 
tractable expression 
of  countenance.  But 

Commandant  La  Carriole.  one  only  needed  to 


DR.   J.    B.   QUltS.  6l 

know  him  for  five  minutes  in  order  to  discover  that  he 
was  the  best  of  men.  His  character  may  be  summed  up 
in  a  few  words— no  vices,  few  defects,  and  one  passion — 
sport. 

From  the  1st  of  September  to  the  ist  of  March,  the 
Commandant  was  identified  with  his  gun  and  his  dogs.  They 
were  never  seen  apart ;  they  formed  a  harmonious  whole, 
whose  respective  parts  resumed  their  isolation  only  at 
the  period  when  they  were  rudely  put  asunder  by  the 
law. 

From  the  ist  of  September  to  the  rst  of  March,  the 
Commandant  went  out  at  daybreak,  and  did  not  come  in 
until  nightfall. 

The  arrival  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  and  his  companions  was  an 
event  of  sufficient  importance  to  bring  him  back  to  the 
house  three  hours  earlier  than  usual. 

He  was  dressing  when  the  cracking  of  a  whip  announced 
the  approach  of  a  carriage,  and  presently  a  diligence 
stopped  before  the  porch. 

Henri  and  M.  Bonamy  stepped  lightly  out  of  the 
ponderous  vehicle.  The  unhappy  doctor  had  to  be  ex- 
tracted from  his  ambulatory  prison,  and  this  delicate  and 
protracted  operation  required  the  aid  of  the  coachman,  the 
gardener,  and  the  man-servant  for  its  safe  and  successful 
performance. 

"Are  you  all  right?"  anxiously  inquired  the  Com- 
mandant 

Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  made  no  answer. 

No  words  in  any  language  could  describe  the  state  of 
prostration  and  dejection  to  which  he  had  been  reduced 
by  this  wretched  transit  of  thirty  leagues,  after  the  long 
repose  of  forty  years. 

"  And  to  think,"  he  murmured  piteously,  "  that  there  are 
people  who  like  travelling  !  " 

Nothing  more  could  be  extracted  from  him.  They 
hoisted  him  up  to  his  room  somehow,  and  he  went  to  bed 
and  to  sleep,  without  giving  a  thought  to  the  dinner  that 


62 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


awaited  the  new  arrivals,  although  he  passed  for  a  valiant 
trencherman. 

It  is  not  known  whether  the  waking  nightmare  of  travel 
pursued  him  during  his  sleep,  whether  he  felt  his  bed 
grind  and  creak  under  him  like  the  iron  wheels  of  the 


He  had  to  be  extracted  from  his  ambulatory  prison. 

railway-carriage,  but  it  may  be  hoped  that  he  was  spared 
that  supreme  misery,  as  he  remained  unseen  the  whole 
evening. 

Henri  and  his  companion,  who  were  less  susceptible  to 
fatigue,  did  ample  justice  to  the  Commandant's  excellent 


DR.   J.    B.   QUltS.  63 

dinner,  and  after  they  had  drunk  their  coffee  and  smoked 
their  cigars,  they  adjourned  to  the  billiard-room. 

While  the  balls  were  rolling  about  the  table,  Anthime, 
who  had  a  good  deal  of  the  ferret  in  him,  went  all  round 
the  room,  poking  his  sharp  nose  into  everything  within  his 
reach.  Presently  he  paused,  and  exclaimed  : 

"Oh!  Oh!  Ah!" 

The  Commandant  turned  round,  and  asked  Anthime 
what  was  the  matter  with  him. 

Anthime  had  three  or  four  pieces  of  coin  in  his  hand. 
He  had  found  them  in  a  small  vase. 

"  What  are  these  ?  "  he  asked,  with  some  excitement. 

"  How  should  I  know?  They  are  old  sous  that  were 
found  on  the  border  of  the  wood,  and  I  have  kept  them  to 
show  to  Quies." 

"  Quies,  always  Quies  !  "  growled  M.  Bonamy.  "  One 
would  think  that  nobody  in  the  world  but  Quies  could 
pronounce  upon  a  question  of  archaeology." 

He  took  one  of  the  coins,  put  it  in  his  pocket,  threw 
the  others  back  into  the  cup,  and  fell  into  deep  meditation. 

"These  coins" — so  ran  his  thoughts — "are  identically 
similar  to  those  which  I  found  at  Saint-Pignon.  Other 
remains  of  the  same  period  ought  to  be  found  where  these 
have  lain  so  long.  Now,  if  I  succeed  in  proving  that 
Attila  came  to  this  country,  his  route  through  it  comes  to 
the  support  of  what  I  say  concerning  the  early  history  of 
Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  ;  the  Archbishop  of  Upsala 
is  wrong,  or  the  texts  have  been  misinterpreted.  Oh, 
science,  science  ! " 

He  raised  his  hands  to  heaven,  let  them  fall  again,  shook 
hands  with  his  host,  and  betook  himself  to  his  bedroom. 
An  hour  afterwards,  everybody  at  Plessis-les-Assoux, 
except  the  dogs,  was  asleep. 

The  following  morning,  Quies,  the  first  to  awake,  after 
a  sleep  of  fifteen  hours  and  some  minutes,  came  down 
from  his  room,  and  cast  a  melancholy  glance  upon  the 
garden,  upon  which  the  sun  was  shining.  Then,  as  he 


64  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 

was  already  tired  of  standing,  he  inspected  the  sofa  in 
the  billiard-room,  and  finding  it  comfortably  cushioned, 
he  gently  subsided  upon  it,  resting  his  hand  on  a  table 
which  stood  by  its  side. 

Once  seated,  the  doctor  recovered  the  full  use  of  his 
faculties,  and  his  mind,  more  active  than  his  body,  began 
again  to  seek  the  boundless  realms  of  science.  He  applied 
himself  to  considering  one  by  one  the  arguments  of  his 
admirable  treatise  upon  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  in  the 
days  of  Attila  ;  and  while  he  was  busy  with  his  thoughts 
he  idly  fingered  a  number  of  small  articles  in  a  vase  within 
reach  of  his  hand.  It  was  the  vase  ia  which  Anthime  had 
replaced  the  coins  that  had  attracted  his  attention. 

Doctor  J.  B.  Quies'  bump  of  archaeology  was  as  largely 
developed  as  Anthime's,  and  no  sooner  had  his  sensitive 
fingers  detected  the  ridges  on  the  surface  of  these  coins 
than  he  took  them  up,  examined  them,  and  exclaimed,  like 
his  rival,  "  Oh  !  Oh  !  Ah  !  "  Then  he  too  fell  into  deep 
meditation. 

"  These  coins,"  thought  he,  "  are  identically  similar  to 
those  which  I  have  found  at  home.  If  I  succeed  in 
proving  it — and  prove  it  I  shall — that  Attila  came  into 
this  country,  his  route  through  it  comes  to  the  support  of 
what  I  say  concerning  the  early  history  of  Saint-Pignon 
les  Girouettes.  The  Archbishop  of  Upsala  is  wrong,  or 
the  texts  have  been  misinterpreted/' 

Doctor  Quies,  in  the  pride  of  his  discovery,  actually 
hummed  the  old  tune  to  which  we  have  all  been  rocked 

to  sleep : — 

Attila, 
Attila, 
Pour  sur  a  passe  par  la. 

At  this  moment  M.  Bonamy  entered  the  room. 
"  Ha  !  "  exclaimed  he.    "  What  is  that  you  say,  my  dear 
Quies  ? " 

"  I  say  Attila  certainly  passed  that  way." 
"  Are  you  concerned  about  Attila,  then  ? " 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfcS.  65 

"  H'm  !  It's  an  obscure  period  of  history,  and  therefore 
very  interesting." 

"  And  do  you  hope  to  throw  a  ray  of  unexpected  light 
upon  it  by  any  chance  ?  " 

"  Perhaps." 


The  christening  of  the  little  Vernet  La  Carriole. 


"  Ah  !  " 

"  You  will  soon  see  that." 
"  Ah  ! !  " 

"  At  our  next  meeting." 
"  Ah  ! !  !  " 
5 


66 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


"  I  mean  to  read  a  short  paper— 

'•  Upon  Attila  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  upon  the  early  history  of  our  good  town  of  Saint- 
Pignon  les  Girouettes." 

'•  A  paper  on — " 

"  Yes,  yes.     But  what's  the  matter  with  you  ?  " 

M.  Bonamy  was  livid,  and  a  sudden  gush  of  bile  lent  a 
yellow  tint  to  his  cheeks  and  forehead. 

He  answered  with  a  great  effort,  "  Nothing." 

But  the  blow  had  struck  home !  Once  more  Quies 
stood  in  his  path  and  barred  it.  Once  more  Quies  was 
about  to  deprive  him  of  the  fruit  of  his  toilsome  labours. 

"  No,  no,"  he  muttered,  "  this  shall  not  be  !  " 

Then  the  idea  of  an  evil  deed  took  root  in  his  mind. 

M.  Bonamy  did  not  choose  that  Dr.  Quies  should  read 
his  paper  upon  the  origin  and  early  history  of  Saint-Pig- 
non  at  the  meeting  of  the  Archaeological  Society,  and  he 
regarded  any  means  by  which  this  could  be  prevented  as 
allowable.  He  took  good  care,  however,  to  conceal  the 
sentiments  which  disturbed  him  ;  for  to  betray  them  might 
thwart  his  scheme  of  vengeance. 

The  apparent  harmony  that  reigned  among  the  guests 
of  the  good  Commandant  was,  therefore,  entirely  undis- 
turbed, and  on  the  following  day  the  christening  of  the 
little  Vernet  La  Carriole  took  place  with  great  pomp  in 
the  church  of  a  neighbouring  commune.  There  is  as  yet 
no  cathedral  at  Plessis. 


DR.   J.    B.    QUIES.  67 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DIJON  ! — FIVE  MINUTES  ! 

HALF  an  hour  after  the  close  of  the  festivities,  Doctor 
J.  B.  Quies,  who  thought  it  unnecessary  to  remain  any 
longer  at  Plessis,  announced  his  intention  of  departing, 
since  travel  back  he  must,  and  M.  Bonamy  applied  himself 
to  thinking  how  he  could  prevent  the  worthy  savant's 
return  to  Saint-Pignon.  The  solemn  sitting  of  the 
Geographical,  Numismatical,  and  Archaeological  Society 
was  to  take  place  in  three  days  from  the  present  time. 

How  could  D.r.  Quies  be  kept  at  a  safe  distance  for  that 
period  ?  Ever  since  the  preceding  evening  M.  Bonamy 
had  been  putting  this  question  to  himself,  and  it  had  cost 
him  more  trouble  to  solve  the  problem  than  to  compose 
his  famous  memoir.  He  would  probably  have  failed  alto- 
gether and  given  it  up,  had  not  the  devil,  who  takes 
pleasure  in  helping  out  evil  schemes,  seconded  him  in  the 
accomplishment  of  his  design.  The  Commandant  was 
summoned  by  telegraph  to  the  south  on  urgent  business, 
and  had  to  start  that  same  evening. 

"  My  young  friend,"  said  he  to  Henri,  "  would  you  like 
to  come  to  Tarascon  with  me  ?  It  is  quite  close  to 
Marseilles.  Marseilles  is  at  the  gate  of  Algiers,  and  I 
engage  that  your  father  will  be  glad  to  embrace  his 
son  and  shake  hands  with  old  La  Carriole.  Hey  !  what 
do  you  think  ?  We  will  write  to  mamma  when  we  get 
there,  and  we  won't  say  a  single  word  to  Quies  about  it. 
He  abhors  travelling  as  nature  abhors  a  vacuum,  and  he  is 
just  the  man  not  to  let  you  go." 


68  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

A  youth  of  twenty  who  would  refuse  such  an  expedi- 
tion is  as  rare  as  an  urchin  of  five  years  old  who  would 
say  "  No  "  .to  a  slice  of  bread  and  jam. 

Henri  jumped   with  joy,  and  pressed  the  hand  of  the 
Commandant  all  the  more  closely  because  he  felt  himself 
under   a   double    obligation    in    this    matter,    imperativ 
reasons  of  economy  alone  having    prevented   him    from 
accompanying  or  rejoining  his  father. 

Quies,  as  we  now  see,  was  about  to  be  left  at  the  mercy 
of  his  rival. 

The  christening  feast  was  copious  and  prolonged,  and 
the  party  set  out  in  a  carriage  at  five  o'clock  for  the 
railway-station  at  Mehen,  so  as  to  be  in  time  for  the 
express  which  leaves  Paris  at  eight  o'clock,  and  crosses 
that  from  Marseilles  at  this  point.  The  arrangement 
rather  frightened  the  doctor  at  first,  but  he  soon  got  over 
his  fear.  After  all,  it  was  not  travelling  in  the  dark  that 
he  dreaded,  it  was  travelling  at  all. 

It  was  already  dark  when  the  party  alighted  at  the 
entrance  to  the  station.  A  few  gas-jets  flickered  amid  the 
gloom.  It  was  just  the  time  and  place  for  an  evil  deed. 

During  their  drive  Anthime  had  not  taken  his  eyes  off 
the  unhappy  Quies.  He  had  observed  how  the  poor 
fellow,  shaken  and  hurt  by  the  jolting  of  the  carriage, 
overpowered  by  the  fumes  of  the  generous  wine,  of  which 
he  had  drunk  freely,  had  tried  to  find  a  place  of  repose  for 
his  weary  head — had  slept,  awoke,  and  slept  again. 
Fatigue  would  deliver  him  over  helplessly  to  his  enemy. 

What  was  he  going  to  do  with  him  ? 

Commandant  La  Carriole  and  Henri  had  already  got 
into  their  compartment,  after  the  usual  farewells,  and 
Anthime  was  still  anxiously  seeking  for  a  means  of 
wreaking  his  vengeance,  when  a  loud  voice  uttered  the 
familiar  words  : 

"  Take  your  seats  !  take  your  seats !  " 

A  diabolical  idea  occurred  to  him.  He  shook  Quies, 
who  was  half  asleep  on  a  bench,  and  shouted  in  his  ear : 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  69 

"  Quick,  quick,  take  your  seat  ! " 

"  Quies  stood  up,  mechanically.  His  enemy  took  him  by 
the  arm,  opened  the  door  of  a  carriage,  and  having  hoisted 
him  into  it  with  great  difficulty,  shut  the  door,  saying  : 


"  I  will  be  with  you  in  a  moment." 

"  I  will  be  with  you  in  a  moment." 

The  doctor  sank  down  upon  the  well-stuffed  cushion^ 
and  re-closed  his  eyes,  without  troubling  himself  about 
his  travelling  companion.  Quies,  on  a  journey,  descended 


7O  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

at  once  to  the  rank  of  the  lower  animals.  He  was -sound 
asleep  when,  two  minutes  later,  the  train  steamed  out  of 
the  station. 

During  this  brief  interval  Anthime,  radiant  with  delight, 
and  more  elated  than  a  general  who  has  just  won  a  battle, 
got  into  the  train  that  was  in  readiness  on  the  other  side 
of  the  station,  and  was  carried  comfortably  towards  Saint- 
Pignon  les  Girouettes. 

"  Let  me  see,  let  me  see,"  thought  he,  rubbing  his 
hands  ;  "  he  will  awake  between  Lyons  and  Avignon — he 
has  no  money — one  of  two  things  must  happen  ;  he  will 
either  recognize  what  has  happened  and  look  for  the 
Commandant,  who  will  supply  him  with  funds,  or  he  will 
not  understand  the  position,  and  will  stop,  in  a  state  of 
bewilderment,  at  some  intermediate  station.  From  thence 
he  will  have  to  telegraph,  and  then  he  will  have  to 
wait  for  the  money.  Besides,  Quies  is  just  the  sort  of 
man  to  stay  where  he  finds  himself  rather  than  do  one 
hundred  and  fifty  leagues  over  again.  Even  putting 
things  at  the  worst,  his  paper  is  not  ready,  and  if  he  comes 
back  he  will  take  to  his  bed  for  three  days  at  the  very 
least,  However  things  may  turn  out,  I  am  master  of 
the  situation.  Ha,  ha,  Doctor  Quies,  he  laughs  best  uho 
laughs  last !  Sound  sleep  to  you,  my  good  friend,  sound 
sleep  to  you  !  " 

Doctor  Quies  did  not  sleep  for  so  long  a  spell  as  his 
enemy  desired.  He  was  awakened  towards  the  middle  of 
the  night  by  a  sudden  jolt  caused  by  the  abrupt  stopping 
of  the  train. 

He  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  about  him.  He  was 
alone  in  his  compartment. 

"  Where  is  Bonamy  ?  "  thought  he,  "  and  whereabouts 
are  we  ? " 

He  put  his  head  out  of  the  window  ;  the  night  was  dark, 
and  the  train  had  run  on  beyond  the  station,  which  lay 
behind  it  in  deep  gloom.  Quies,  as  uneasy  at  finding 
himself  forsaken  by  his  travelling  companion  as  a  child 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  /I 

would   be   on   missing  its  nurse,  got  down,  and  walked  a 
little  way,  calling  out : 
"  Bonamy  !  Bonamy  !  " 

At  the  same  time  he  approached  a  carriage  in  order  to 
ask  the  name  of  the  station.  But  the  glasses  were  up, 
the  travellers  were  asleep,  and  Quies,  who  was  very  shy, 
had  not  courage  to  arouse  any  of  them.  The  officials 
were  all  at  the  front  of  the  train.  Quies  thought  he  should 
save  at  least  ten  steps  by  going  himself  to  read  the  name 
which  he  wanted  to  learn.  Unfortunately  there  were  two 
goods  trains  in  the  station  at  the  same  time,  and  in  trying 
to  cross  the  line,  he  got  mixed  up  with  the  carriages,  lost 
his  way,  and  was  stopped  by  the  ringing  of  the  bell  for 
the  starting  of  the  train,  and  the  imperative  : 

"  Take  your  seats  !     Take  your  seats  !  " 

We  know  that  the  respected  doctor  was  not  quick  on 
his  legs.  He  could  not  reach  the  compartment  in  which 
he  had  made  a  portion  of  the  journey,  and  he  had  barely 
time — the  train  being  already  in  motion — to  jump  into  the 
last  carriage,  when  the  door  was  shut  upon  him  with  a 
tremendous  bang. 

Little  he  cared  whether  he  was  in  one  carriage  or 
another  ;  he  was  wretched  in  any.  This  particular  one, 
nevertheless,  had  something  very  odd  about  it.  It  was 
quite  dark.  Happily  one  does  not  want  light  to  sleep  by- 
Quies  stretched  out  his  arms,  felt  a  soft  warm  substance 
under  his  hands,  and  promptly  let  himself  drop  upon  it. 

But — oh  !  wondrous  to  tell — he  had  hardly  sat  down 
ere  the  bench  reared  itself  up,  and  bellowed  after  a  for- 
midable fashion. 

The  bench  was  a  bullock,  and  the  doctor  had  disturbed 
the  animal  in  its  sleep  ! 

Quies  had  blundered  into  a  cattle  van. 

We  know  many  persons,  accustomed  to  sleep  in  ordinary 
beds,  whom  a  similar  discovery  would  have  terrified  and 
bewildered.  Quies  was  almost  glad  of  it.  There  was  straw 
in  the  van  ;  he  would  be  able  to  stretch  himself  out  and 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


sleep  in  peace,  without  being  disturbed  every  few  minutes 
by  people  getting  in  and  out. 

Bullocks  are  harmless  animals. 

It  did  not  take  very  long  to  make  the  doctor's  bed,  and 
in  five  minutes  he  was  fast  asleep  again. 

When  he  opened  his  eyes,  the  train  had  stopped  again, 
and  he  heard  the  cry  of : 

"  Dijon  !     Dijon  !     Five  minutes  here  !  " 


; 


The  bench  reared  itself  up,  and  bellowed. 

"  Dijon,"  muttered  Quies,  "  Dijon  !  Chief  place  of  the 
department  of  Cote  d'Or,  270  kilometres  south-east  of 
Paris,  24,800  inhabitants,  is  a  bishop's  see,  has  a  court  of 
assize,  is  the  birthplace  of  Bossuet,  and  the  former  capital 
of  the  Duchy  of  Burgundy.  Dijon  !  " 

He  sprang  up  from  the  straw  as  if  the  last  trumpet  had 
called  him  to  his  feet,  and  flung  himself  against  the  side 
of  the  van,  shouting  with  all  his  strength  : 

"  Let  me  out ;  let  me  out !     I  want  to  get  down  !  " 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfcS.  73 

The    only   result    of  this    was    that   he    woke   up    the 
bullocks,  who  drowned  his  voice  with  their  bellowing. 
The  train  was  off  again. 

Dijon  !  He  was  beyond  Dijon  !  He,  Quies  !  Of  all 
the  things  reputed  to  be  impossible,  there  was  not  one 
which  could  have  seemed  to  him  so  utterly  out  of  the 
question. 

How  had  it  come  about  ? 

But  this  was  not  all,  not  nearly  all.  Where  was  this 
train,  which  was  carrying  him  away  with  it,  to  stop  ? 
Would  the  useless  effort  he  had  just  made  remain  useless  ? 

We  are  not  afraid  of  being  accused  of  exaggeration  when 
we  say  that  his  terrible  discovery  threw  the  unfortunate 
doctor  into  such  a  state  of  fever  that  his  usually  calm 
and  steady  pulse  beat  at  the  rate  of  ninety  pulsations  in  a 
minute.  His  blood  surged  and  buzzed  in  his  ears  ;  his 
hands  trembled  ;  a  mad  fear  possessed  him. 

He  let  himself  fall  on  the  straw,  with  his  head  in  his 
hands,  and  groaned  out  : 

"  What  will  become  of  me  ? " 

A  fresh  sensation  soon  roused  him  from  his  torpor. 

It  was  that  of  cold.  His  chest,  his  shoulders,  his  hands 
were  cold,  with  that  peculiar  chill  of  fever  which  precedes 
or  follows  a  crisis.  Instinctively,  without  thinking  of  what 
he  was  doing,  he  stretched  out  his  hands  in  the  darkness, 
and,  groping  about,  found  a  rough  coat,  which  he  threw 
over  his  shoulders,  and  a  cap,  which  he  put  on  his  head, 
and  drew  down  to  his  ears. 

He  felt  a  little  better  after  this,  and,  wedging  himself  in 
between  two  bullocks,  he  endeavoured  to  collect  his  ideas. 

The  effort  was,  however,  useless  ;  the  shock  had  been 
too  sudden  and  too  violent.  He  fell  into  a  state  of 
numbness,  which  deadened  his  perception  of  external 
things,  and  even  of  his  own  identity. 

He  heard  innumerable  noises,  without  distinguishing 
any  of  them.  He  wanted  to  rise,  but  only  as  one  wants 
to  rise  in  a  dream,  and  finds  oneself  fastened  to  the  bed. 


74  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS  OF 

This  condition  lasted,  no  doubt,  for  a  long  time  ;  for, 
when  his  consciousness  returned,  and  he  was  able  to  hitch 
himself  up  to  the  opening  in  the  upper  part  of  the  side  of 
the  van,  he  beheld — splendidly  illuminated  by  the  sun — a 
landscape  which  he  did  not  know,  but  nevertheless  recog- 
nized without  hesitation — 

Provence ! 

The  train  still  sped  on. 

Quies  fully  comprehended  that  all  was  over  with  him. 
As  a  mere  matter  of  duty,  and  for  the  form  of  the  thing, 
he  still  tried  to  make  himself  heard  when  he  came  to  a 
station,  but  no  sooner  did  he  open  his  mouth  than  his 
eight  companions  began  a  competitive  bellowing. 


Wedging  himself  in  between  two  bullocks. 

The  poor  wretch,  trembling  with  the  cold  of  fever, 
wrapped  himself  up  in  his  coat,  pulled  his  cap  over  his 
eyes,  and  lay  do\vn  again,  with  his  head  in  the  straw,  as 
though  he  were  trying  to  forget  whom  and  where  he  was. 

"  The  train,"  he  thought,  "  cannot  go  beyond  Marseilles. 
At  Marseilles  the  van  must  be  opened,  and  I  shall  be  set 
free  from  this  nightmare." 

He  did  arrive  at  Marseilles,  but  without  being  set  free 
from  his  nightmare,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  firs-t  chapter  of 
this  narrative,  at  the  end  whereof  we  left  the  poor  doctor 
in  a  dead  faint  on  board  the  Triton. 


DR.   J.    B.   QUIES.  75 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   GALE. 

WHEN  Dr.  Quies  regained  consciousness,  he  had  some 
difficulty  in  recovering  the  thread  of  his  ideas.  He  was  in 
the  state  of  mind  that  is  produced  by  a  suddenly  inter- 
rupted dream,  and  in  which  one  does  not  know  where 
reality  begins  or  ends. 

When  memory  returned,  the  frightful  recollection  that 
came  to  him  could  not  be,  and  was  not,  anything  but  the 
continuation  of  his  dream. 

It  was  all  too  impossible  to  be  true. 

His  first  effort  was  to  make  sure  that  he  was  still  alive  ; 
a  fact  which  he  readily  ascertained  by  opening  his  eyes 
and  looking  about  him. 

He  was  lying  in  a  room  with  a  very  low  ceiling,  feebly 
lighted  by  four  little  round  glazed  apertures.  In  this 
room  half  a  dozen  men,  wearing  cotton  nightcaps,  were 
asleep  on  beds — such  beds  as  he  had  never  seen — beds 
suspended  from  the  walls  one  over  the  other. 

In  one  corner  slept  a  big  fellow,  who  wore  the  traditional 
white  apron  of  hospital  attendants.  Quies  had  a  vague 
consciousness  that  he  was  in  a  hospital,  and  began  to 
wonder  what  malady  he  was  suffering  from. 

The  symptoms  that  he  could  identify  were  : 

1.  Distressing  twinges  of  the  stomach  ; 

2.  Buzzing  in  the  head,  and  ringing  in  the  ears  ; 

3.  A  nervous  twitching  in  the  jaws  ; 

4.  A  general  sense  of  weakness  and  lassitude. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  have  passed  an  examination  in 


76 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


medicine  in  order  to  diagnose  the  vulgar  complaint  called 
hunger.  Everybody  is  acquainted  with  the  symptoms, 
although  it  is,  unfortunately,  not  always  in  the  power  of 
everybody  to  cure  the  disease. 

It  was  not  at  all  surprising  that  Dr.  Quies  should  suffer 
from  hunger  ;  he  had  eaten  nothing  for  thirty-six  hours. 

For  a  moment  all  his  other  cares  were  superseded  by 


Dr.  Quies'  breakfast. 

the  pressing  need  of  food.  He  called  the  attendant,  and 
without  any  circumlocution,  requested  that  his  breakfast 
should  be  served  at  once. 

"  Ha  !  It  seems  you  are  better,"  said  the  man,  with  a 
grin. 

"  Yes,  I  am  better,  or,  rather,  I  shall  be  when  I  have  had 
a  bouillon/' 


DR.   J.    B.   QUlfcS.  77 

"  A  bouillon  !  Monsieur  is  in  the  habit  of  taking  his 
bouillon  !  Ha  !  ha  !  You  are  well  fed  in  Hungary.  Well, 
you  had  better  go  and  see  the  cook.  Perhaps  he  may 
have  a  hunch  of  bread  and  a  sausage  to  give  you." 

Quies  made  a  melancholy  grimace.  He  did  not  like 
sausage,  and  he  had  not  the  least  notion  where  to  find  the 
cook. 

Fortunately  the  attendant  took  pity  on  him,  and  went 
to  the  cook's  galley  to  get  what  he  could  for  his  patient. 
He  returned  with  a  lump  of  bread,  a  bunch  of  radishes, 
and  a  ration  of  wine. 

To  have  nothing  but  radishes  to  eat  at  the  end  of  a  thirty- 
six  hours'  fast  was,  it  will  be  readily  admitted,  a  melan- 
choly experience  for  a  man  like  Doctor  J.  B.  Quies,  landed 
proprietor,  elector,  and  "  eligible  "  in  general,  of  Saint- 
Pignon  les  Girouettes. 

Bitter  indeed  were  his  thoughts  while  he  ate  his  meagre 
meal.  With  what  agonizing  minuteness  did  he  recall  those 
happy  days,  already  so  distant,  when  he  used  to  sit  at  his 
breakfast,  sedulously  waited  on  by  his  old  Gertrude,  with 
his  feet  on  soft  cushions,  and  purring  like  a  cat  in  the  sun. 
In  what  marvellous  colours  did  this  picture  of  the  past, 
which  he  only  now  recognized  in  the  fulness  of  its  calm 
delight,  present  itself  to  his  eyes  ! 

But  while  Quies  was  thus  thinking  of  his  lost  case  and 
comfort,  he  was  also  thinking  of  the  absent — for  he  was 
not  so  entirely  selfish  as  to  care  for  nothing  and  nobody — 
of  his  dear  Henri,  of  the  good  La  Carriole,  of  Anthime. 
Yes,  Quies  had  regretful  thoughts  for  Anthime  Bonamy ! 

When  he  had  eaten  the  last  radish  and  the  last  crumb, 
when  he  had  drained  the  last  drop  of  wine,  Quies  heaved 
a  sigh,  wiped  away  a  tear,  and  now,  feeling  stronger,  rose, 
with  the  intention  of  seeking  an  interview  with  the  head 
physician  of  the  hospital,  who  would  surely  be  able,  in 
virtue  of  his  high  position,  to  come  to  the  poor  doctor's 
assistance,  and  procure  for  him  the  means  of  returning  to 
his  home. 


78  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

The  attendant  promptly  opened  the  door  for  him, 
saying  : 

"  The  stair  in  front  of  you  ;  take  hold  of  the  rail." 

Quies  obeyed,  took  hold  of  the  rail,  mounted  half  a 
dozen  steps  with  some  difficulty,  and  having  reached  the 
top  of  the  staircase,  which  seemed  — it  was  the  oddest 
thing  possible — to  slip  from  under  his  feet,  tumbled 
against  a  coil  of  rope,  unaccountably  left  in  so  very 
awkward  a  place,  and  fell  flat  down  at  his  full  length. 

He  picked  himself  up  gradually,  cast  his  eyes  around, 
and  found  himself  in  such  a  situation  that  he  could  only 
open  his  mouth,  but  was  unable  to  utter  a  cry. 

Around  him,  before,  behind,  on  the  right,  on  the  left, 
everywhere  lay  the  immensity  of  the  sea. 

The  sun,  rising  on  the  horizon,  already  illuminated  the 
crests  of  the  little  blue  waves,  rippling  under  the  cheerful 
breeze. 

The  deck  was  almost  deserted.  Quies  did  not  dis- 
turb anybody,  while  he  ranged  its  length  three  or  four 
times,  as  wild  beasts  tread  the  floor  of  their  cages,  only  to 
make  themselves  doubly  sure  that  there  is  no  way  out. 

On  the  high  seas  ! 

This  discovery  completely  terrified  him. 

Where  was  he  going  to  ?  Whither  were  they  taking 
him  ? 

Every  turn  of  that  screw  which  revolved  with  such 
incredible  rapidity  was  removing  him  farther  from  his  dear 
Saint-Pignon. 

How  was  he  to  live,  unknown,  and  without  resources, 
in  the  strange  land,  whatever  it  might  be,  towards  which 
he  was  speeding? 

And  how  was  he  ever  to  get  back  ? 

All  these  ideas  assailed  him  simultaneously,  and  to 
none  of  his  questions  could  he  find  an  answer. 

Almost  mad,  with  tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks,  he 
threw  himself  into  the  first  aperture  he  came  to,  tumbled 
down  some  stairs,  and  getting  on  his  feet  again  entered  a 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  79 

stowage  place  in  the  between   decks,  and  crouched  down 
upon  the  boards,  there  to  wait  for  death,  if  God   would . 
mercifully  send  him  that  great  deliverance. 

All  day  he  remained  hidden  in  his  retreat,  and  it  was 
not  until  evening  that  an  unexpected  occurrence  forced 
him  to  emerge. 

The  wind  had  risen  ;  the  pretty  little  blue  waves  of  the 
morning  had  turned  into  great  billows,  which  swept 
over  the  deck  every  moment  with  a  terrible  sound.  The 
black  sky  was  ploughed  up  by  the  lightning,  and  the 
howling  of  the  storm  overhead  replied  to  the  angry  roar 
of  the  sea. 

A  tempest  is  a  magnificent  spectacle  when  one  contem- 
plates it  in  perfect  safety  from  the  shore,  with  the  certainty 
of  finding  food  and  shelter  at  need.  Then  may  the  beholder 
study  its  aspect  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  dreamer  or 
the  painter,  careful  only  to  note  the  alternations  of  light 
and  shade,  of  tumult  and  silence,  and  oblivious,  for  a 
moment,  that  the  caprice  of  the  wind  will  cost  the  lives 
of  many  men. 

On  the  deck  of  a  ship  one  sees  things  from  a  different 
point  of  view  ;  the  reality  is  so  near  that  there  is  no  room 
for  imagination,  and  one  thinks  less  of  the  pleasure  of 
admiration  than  of  the  danger  of  death. 

Quies  thought  of  neither  one  nor  the  other.  An  entirely 
new  sensation  had  seized  upon  him.  A  severe  hiccough 
shook  him  from  head  to  foot,  his  head  swam,  his  ideas 
became  confused,  his  temples  throbbed  as  though  they 
were  bursting,  and  he  was  racked  with  unbearable  pains. 

He  rose  to  his  feet,  not  knowing  what  he  was  doing, 
and  staggered  to  the  deck.  The  spectacle  that  awaited 
him  there  completed  his  moral  overthrow. 

The  storm  was  at  its  height.  The  vessel,  tossed  on  the 
wild  waves,  rose  madly  on  their  summits  and  sank  into 
their  depths  as  though  it  could  never  re-appear. 

The  sailors  were  hurrying  about,  executing  the  orders  of 
the  officers.  No  harm  had  been  done  as  yet.  The  crew 


8o 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


had  the  vessel  under  perfect  control  ;  but  the  noise  and 
seeming  confusion  were  terrific.  To  those  accustomed  to 
it,  the  storm  was  merely  a  storm,  without  any  formidable 
features  ;  but  to  the  wretched  Quies,  it  was  the  end  of  the 
world. 


"  Mind  what  you're  about,  you  fool !" 

All  the  elements  seemed  to  him  to  be  mixed  up  together 
in  a  chaos  out  of  which  nothing  could  issue  evermore. 

Maddened  by  fear,  stumbling,  falling,  picking  himself 
up,  going  blindly  on,  not  knowing  whither,  he  reeled 
against  the  legs  of  a  sailor,  who  gave  him  a  push  which 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


8l 


sent  him  reeling  against  some  other  legs,  and  their  pro- 
prietor in  his  turn  pitched 
him  off,  with  a  rough  : 

"  Mind  what  you're 
about,  you  fool !  " 

Quies  was  in  no  con- 
dition to  display  anger ; 
nor,  indeed,  would  he 
have  had  time  to  do  so, 
for  the  same  person  who 
had  just  treated  him  with 
such  scant  respect,  caught 
him  round  the  body,  and 
held  him  tightly,  ex- 
claiming : 

"  Why  it's  Quies  !  Our 
good  Quies ! " 

"  The  doctor  !  "  cried 
Henri,who  came  running 
up  at  his  friend's  expla- 
nation. "  The  doctor ! 
Here ! " 

"Himself!  Look  at 
him." 

,,  w       ,        Tr       ,         T,    .     He  was  now  merely  an  inanimate  bundle. 

Yes  !      Yes  !       But 

what  a -state  you  are  in  !     What  does   this   extraordinary 
rig-out  mean  ?  " 

No  answer  was  to  be  had  from  the  unfortunate  Quies. 
The   Commandant  and   Henri   took    him,   one    by  the 
shoulders,  the  other  by  the  feet,  and  carried   him  into  a 
first-class  cabin. 

He  was  now  merely  an  inanimate  bundle. 
6 


82  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  XI. 

IN    WHICH   DR.   QUIES   TAKES  AN   IRREVOCABLE 
DETERMINATION. 

FOR  eight  days,  and  as  many  nights,  it  was  impossible  to 
induce  Dr.  Quies  to  leave  his  bed.  He  lay  with  his  face 
to  the  wall,  and  his  head  under  the  coverlet,  without  look- 
ing round  or  taking  a  mouthful  of  air.  During  those 
eight  days  and  nights  he  asked  himself  whether  he  was 
alive  or  dead,  awake  or  dreaming,  and  whether  it  could 
really  be  the  sedentary  recluse,  J.  B.  Quies,  of  Saint- 
Pignon  les  Girouettes,  who  had  travelled  so  formidable  a 
distance,  and  accomplished  so  Homeric  a  voyage. 

When,  after  the  expiration  of  a  week,  he  perceived  that 
he  was  in  one  of  the  best  rooms  of  the  best  hotel  in 
Algiers,  that  his  three  meals  a  day  were  served  regularly, 
and  that  no  more  or  less  familiar  demon  dragged  him  off 
through  space ;  when,  on  approaching  the  window  one  glance 
showed  him  the  marvellous  Algerian  sky,  the  luminous 
blue  sea,  the  landscape  worthy  of  the  "Arabian  Nights," 
he  was  surprised  to  find  that  confidence  in  the  future  was 
returning  to  him,  and  that  he  was  almost  forgetting,  not 
his  tribulations,  but  the  happiest  hours  of  his  past.  He 
sought  to  recall  them  with  tears  of  tender  regret,  and  from 
the  bottom  of  his  heart  he  bade  them  an  eternal  farewell. 

One  morning  Commandant  La  Carriole  and  Henri  came 
into  his  room  and,  after  the  usual  greeting,  said  to  him  : 

"  What  do  you  intend  to  do  ? " 

Quies  looked  at  them  with  the  alarmed  expression  of  a 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  83 

man  who  has  been  asked  whether  he  has  ever  breakfasted 
in  the  moon,  or  taken  a  trip  to  the  planet  Jupiter. 

"  What  do  I   intend   to  do  ?  "  he  repeated,  blinking  his 


"  What  do  you  intend  to  do? " 

eyes  and  stretching  himself  out  in  his  easy  chair,  "  What 
do  I  intend  to  do  ?  Why,  exactly  what  I  am  doing.  To 
rest !  Nothing  more.'' 


84 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


"  You  know,  my  dear  friend,  that  M.  de  Malleville  is  no 
longer  in  Algiers.  We  have  just  left  the  engineer's 
office " 

"Yes,"  continued  Henri,  "we  have  just  learned  that  my 
father  is,  or  ought  to  be  at  Boghar.  He  has  got  the  con- 
cession of  the  public  works,  which  are  to  be  executed  by 
order  of  the  Governor-General." 

"  Ah,  indeed  !  "  said  Quies,  "  that's  well !  You  will 
congratulate  him  for  me." 


Algiers. 

"  You  will  not  come  with  us  ? " 

"  I  !  ? " 

It  would  need  at  least  three  notes  of  admiration  to  con- 
vey the  introduction  of  that  "  I  !  ? "  followed  by  a  short 
laugh,  which  fully  expressed  a  firmly  taken  resolu- 
tion. 

"  As  you  please,  my  good  friend,"  said  La  Carriole,  "  as 
you  please.  Wait  for  us  here  ;  we  will  come  back  for  you 
in  a  month's  time,  and  then  we  can  all  return  to  Saint- 
Pignon  les  Girouettes." 

"  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  !      Never !      cried  Quies, 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfeS.  85 

starting-  up  from  his  easy  chair,  and  repeating  "  Never ! " 
as  he  again  sank  into  its  cushioned  depths. 

The  surprise  of  Henri  and  the  Commandant  was  so 
great  that  they  could  do  nothing  but  look  stupidly  at 
Quies,  who  hastened  to  answer  their  unspoken  questions. 

"  Do  you  imagine,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am  going  to  expose 
myself  a  second  time  to  the  fatigue  of  a  sea  voyage,  to  the 
horrible  sufferings  of  sea  sickness  ?  Do  you  think  I  am 
inclined  to  retrace  the  two  hundred  and  forty  leagues  that 
divide  Marseilles  from  Saint-Pignon,  in  company  with 
a  herd  of  cattle  ?  My  good  friends,  if  you  were  to  offer 
me  a  yearly  income  of  five  hundred  thousand  francs,  all 
the  decorations  known  to  exist  in  the  five  parts  of  the 
world,  and  the  title  of  perpetual  secretary  to  all  the 
academies,  I  should  still  answer  you,  No,  a  thousand  times, 
No  !  I  never  mean  to  stir  again.  Where  I  am  I  stay." 

"  But  your  house  at  Saint-Pignori  ? " 

"  It  will  be  sold." 

"  Gertrude  ?  " 

"  She  will  join  me  here." 

"  Your  land  ? " 

"  It  is  rented." 

"  Your  woods  ?  " 

"  They  are  cut  regularly." 

"  Your  income  ? " 

"It  can  be  sent  to  me  here." 

"  Your  writings  ?  " 

"  They  can  be  arranged  for  by  correspondence." 

"  Your  chess  ?  " 

"  By  correspondence." 

"  Your  friends  ?  " 

'•  They  will  come  to  see  me." 

"  You  are  determined  ? " 

"  Absolutely." 

And  to  prove  that  ha  was  in  earnest  Quies  took  a  pen 
and  wrote  the  following,  which  he  read  aloud  sentence  by 
sentence  : 


86  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  MY  DEAR  GRIMBLOT, — A  deplorable  accident  has 
flung  me  upon  the  African  shore.  My  indolence  keeps 
me  there.  Be  good  enough,  therefore  -  " 

"  Tut,  tut,  my  good  friend,"  interrupted  La  Carriole, 
"  what  are  you  saying  ?  That  will  not  do.  Why  should 
you  needlessly  expose  your  little  weakness  ?  Preserve 
appearances,  at  all  events." 

He  then  dictated  : 

"  MY  DEAR  GRIMBLOT, — Unforeseen  circumstances  have 
made  me  decide  upon  remaining  for  the  present  in  Algiers. 
Have  the  goodness,  therefore,  to  take  charge  of  the 
administration  of  my  affairs,  and  to  forward  my  funds 
to  me  here,  through  the  agency  of  Messrs.  Von  Saachen 
and  Co. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"J.  B.  QUIES." 

Quies,  after  having  written  the  above,  with  the  utmost 
docility,  took  a  second  sheet  of  paper,  and  wrote  : 

"  DEAR  SIR, — I  am  awaiting,  at  the  Hotel  de  la 
Regence,  Algiers,  the  reply  to  my  previous  letter.  Have 
I,  or  have  I  not,  played,  D  7  R  ? 

"  Kindest  regards, 

"J.  B.  QUIES." 

He  folded  the  two  letters,  sealed  them,  directed  one 
to  Maitre  Grimblot,  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes,  France, 
and  the  other  to  Mynheer  Poggenbeck,  Haarlem,  gave 
them  both  to  Henri,  requesting  him  to  post  them  without 
delay,  and  then,  rubbing  his  hands  contentedly,  said  to 
the  Commandant  : 

"  Now,  then,  I  have  burned  my  boats  ! " 
"What  an  extraordinary  notion  you  have  taken  up." 
"  You    think    so  !      I    am    no    traveller.     Such    fatigue 
would  kill  me.     I  have  lost  ten  pounds'  weight  already." 
"  Nonsense  !     You  are  joking !  " 
"  Ten  pounds'  weight  at  least,  I  tell  you." 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  87 

"You  never  looked  so  fresh  and  well  in  your  life.    Your 
cheeks  are  filled  out.     Have  you  been  weighed  ?  " 
'  No." 
"Take  my  arm,  doctor,  and  come  along." 


"  How  much  did  you  weigh  at  Saint-Pignon  ?  " 


"  Where  to  ? " 
"  To  the  yard." 
"No  farther?" 
"  Upon  my  honour/' 


88  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

The  Commandant  took  Quies  into  a  place  adjoining  the 
courtyard  of  the  hotel,  and  made  him  step  up  on  the 
machine  which  was  used  for  the  weighing  of  provisions. 

"  How  much  did  you  weigh  at  Saint-Pignon  ?" 

"  One  hundred  and  ten  kilograms,  five  hundred  centi- 
grams." 

The  Commandant,  having  piled  up  the  weights,  ex- 
claimed : 

"One  hundred  and  sixteen  kilograms!  You  have 
gained  five  kilograms,  five  hundred  centigrams !  That  is 
prodigious  !  Travelling  does  you  good  !  You  ought  to 
come  with  us  to  Boghar.  It  is  not  far  ;  only  one  hundred 
and  forty-eight  kilometers." 

Quies  was  so  frightened  at  the  mere  mention  of  a  fresh 
start  that  he  ran  back  to  his  room,  and  promptly  locked 
the  door  against  all  comers. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUIES.  89 


CHAPTER  XII. 

IN   WHICH    COMMANDANT    LA    CARRIOLE   DEPARTS   ON   A 
HORSE  AND   RETURNS   ON   A   MULE. 

THE  next  day,  after  they  had  made  a  final  effort  to  induce 
the  good  doctor  to  change  his  mind  and  accompany  them, 
Commandant  La  Carriole  and  Henri  took  their  places  in 
the  diligence  which  then  performed  the  journey  between 
Algiers  and  Medeah. 

The  lumbering  machine  was  drawn  by  five  horses,  and 
took  only  an  hour  to  reach  the  bridge  of  Wady  Kerma. 

In  front  of  them  stretched  the  immense  plain  of  the 
Mitidja,  with  its  rich  vegetation,  its  lakes,  and  its  woods, 
and  in  the  far  distance  rose  the  mountains  of  Milianah, 
bathed  in  the  bluish  tints  of  the  horizon,  and  melting  into 
the  sky.  On  the  right  the  eye  rested  on  the  broken 
outline  of  the  Sahel,  on  the  left  the  giant  mamelons  of  the 
Atlas  stood  out  in  bold  distinctness  against  the  blue. 

The  diligence  stopped  at  Birfonta,  three  leagues  farther 
on,  to  change  horses,  and  then  took  the  road  to  Boufarik. 

The  journey  was  totally  uneventful. 

Henri  met  with  some  fresh  surprise  at  every  mile,  and 
soon  made  up  his  mind  that  all  the  descriptions  which 
he  had  read  of  this  beautiful  country  fell  very  far  short  of 
the  reality. 

His  enthusiasm  reached  its  height  when  he  caught  sight 
of  Blidah,  that  pretty  white  town  set  in  a  frame  of  lemon 
and  orange  groves,  and  he  compared  it,  in  a  pardonable  fit 
of  poetic  fervour,  to  a  pearl  lying  in  its  green  velvet  case. 

Blidah  is  ten  leagues  from  Medeah. 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


At  a  short  distance  from  the  town,  the  traveller  crosses 
the  Chiffa,  a  wide  river  which  flows  down  from  Atlas,  and 
enters  the  terrific  gorge  of  the  same  name. 

For  an  extent  of  five  leagues  the  mountain,  cleft  in 
twain  through  all  its  bulk,  gives  passage  to  the  tumultuous 
waters.  On  the  two  sides  of  the  rolling  and  tumbling 
river,  rocks  three  hundred  feet  in  height  rear  their 
frowning  heads  above  the  abyss.  Two  vast  forests  seem 
to  be  suspended  there  as  though  by  a  miracle. 

The  Alps  and  the    Pyrenees  have    no  more  imposing 


Medeah. 

spectacle  to  show,  and  it  is  with  an  involuntary  shudder 
that  one  sets  out  upon  the  road  that  has  been  cut  out  of 
the  flank  of  the  mountain.  The  first  thrill  of  momentary 
terror  soon  yields,  however,  to  the  admiration  inspired  by 
this  wild  and  romantic  scene,  and  the  traveller  long 
retains  his  impression  of  the  Chiffa  gorge,  which  may  be 
called  without  exaggeration  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
world. 

In  the  evening  the  travellers  came  in  sight  of  Medeah. 
The  city  was  half  hidden  in  the  tw-ilight,  only  the  white 
minarets  on  the  housetops,  and  the  double  arches  of 


Chiffa  Gorcre. 


DR.   J.    B.    QUlfcS.  93 

the  aqueduct   which    adjoins    the   east   end,    were    to  be 
seen. 

Henri  was  tired  of  admiring  everything  ;  the  Com- 
mandant was  very  hu  gry.  They  went  to  the  Hotel  des 
Gastronomes,  where  they  made  a  cop'ous  meal,  and  on  its 
conclusion  adjourned  to  their  respective  chambers  and  a 
good  night's  rest. 

As  no  regular  traffic  existed  between  Medeah  and 
Boghar,  they  had  to  bargain  with  an  Arab  for  the  hire  of 
horses.  Commandant  La  Carriole  had  not  been  a  cam- 
paigner for  twenty  years  for  nothing,  and  he  undertook 
the  task.  On  the  following  day,  at  dawn,  the  two 
travellers  and  their  guide  set  out  for  Boghar,  their  way 
lying  through  the  splendid  forests  of  ancient  oak,  pine, 
maple,  and  cork  trees  which  cover  the  Sahel  of  Medeah. 

In  the  evening  they  dismounted  before  the  buildings 
which  form  the  Arab  Bureau,  and  are  situated  on  the 
summit  of  a  lofty  hill  above  the  redoubt  that  overlooks 
the  village. 

La  Carriole  relied  upon  the  good  offices  of  Com- 
mandant Lefevre,  one  of  his  former  brother-officers,  to 
procure  them  a  suitable  lodging.  But  the  Commandant 
had  set  out  for  Awhata,  by  order  of  the  governor, 
accompanied  by  the  engineer  officers  of  the  place,  and  also 
by  M.  de  Malleville.  In  his  absence,  however,  M.  de 
Chany,  a  captain  in  the  first  regiment  of  Spahn,  extended 
such  cordial  hospitality  to  La  Carriole  and  his  com- 
panion that  at  the  end  of  three  weeks  they  were  still  at 
Boghar,  expecting  from  day  to  day  the  return  of  M.  de 
Malleville.  Hunting  and  dinner  parties  were  the  order  of 
the  day  at  Boghar,  and  although  La  Carriole  declared 
every  evening  that  as  De  Malleville  did  not  come  back 
they  must  go  to  him,  and  that  they  were  to  start  the  next 
morning  for  El  Aghwat,  the  irres'stible  attraction  of  a 
fresh  battue  inevitably  proved  too  strong,  and  he  stayed 
on. 

At  length,  however,  the  Commandant  made  up  his  mind 


94  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

that  according  to  the  proverb,  "  the  best  of  friends  must 
part,"  and  one  evening  he  gave  orders  that  everything  was  to 
be  ready  for  a  start  before  dawn  on  the  following  morning. 

Now,  it  happened  that  on  that  very  evening,  informa- 
tion was  sent  to  Boghar  that  the  Sheiks  Abon  Moham- 
med, Yahga  ben  Soltaci,  El  Berkani  and  several  others, 
whose  united  camps  were  pitched  at  some  distance, 
held  themselves  at  the  disposal  of  the  Captain  in  tempo- 
rary command  of  the  Arab  Bureau,  for  the  regulation  of 
certain  business  then  pending  between  their  tribes  and  the 
French  administration. 

This  intimation  put  it  out  of  the  power  of  M.  de  Chany 
to  accompany  his  guests,  as  he  had  intended  to  do,  and  it 
also  afforded  Henri  an  opportunity  of  gratifying  his  curio- 
sity which  he  could  not  resist.  On  similar  occasions  the 
Arab  sheiks  generally  make  a  display  of  luxury  which 
lends  an  air  of  oriental  splendour  that  recalls  the  "  Thou- 
sand and  One  Nights  "  to  these  peaceful  interviews. 

The  good  Commandant  had  too  often  seen  those 
personages  at  close  quarters  to  feel  inclined  to  disturb 
himself  on  their  account,  and  he  determined  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  postponement  of  their  departure  to  make 
a  solitary  expedition  to  certain  coverts  which  he  had 
remarked  shortly  after  his  arrival  at  Boghar,  on  the  border 
of  the  military  road  on  the  Medeah  side.  The  distance 
was  inconsiderable — three  or  four  leagues  at  most.  He 
had  his  horse  saddled  at  dawn  of  day,  and  set  off  in  high 
spirits,  and  at  a  sharp  pace,  so  as  to  reach  his  hunting- 
ground  before  the  heat  of  the  morning.  This  purpose  he 
easily  achieved,  and  he  found  the  place  very  promising 
A  wide,  gently  sloping  plain  covered  with  small  planta- 
tions divided  from  each  other  by  clearings  overgrown  with 
brushwood,  formed  an  ideal  preserve  for  all  kinds  of  furred 
and  feathered  creatures. 

The  Commandant  tied  up  his  horse  in  a  safe  place  under 
an  ash  tree,  and  plunged  into  the  thicket,  gun  in  hand.  In 
an  hour  he  had  exhausted  his  cartridges  and  killed  as 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


95 


much  game  as  would  have  fed  the  inhabitants  of  Boghar 
for  three  days.  But  the  true  hunter  kills  for  the  sake  of 
killing  ;  he  leaves  off  only  when  his  powder,  his  shot,  or  his 


His  horse  came  headlong  down. 

legs  give  out !  Therefore  did  Commandant  La  Carriole, 
instead  of  resting  upon  the  laurels  of  this  first  victory, 
remount  his  horse  in  order  to  establish  his  centre  of  opera- 


96  THE    STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

tions  at  a  greater  distance,  and  carry  away  a  truly  grand 
trophy  of  this  day's  sport. 

Unfortunately,  he  had  not  taken  the  ground  into  account, 
hidden  as  it  was  by  the  thickness  of  the  undergrowth,  and 
a  painful  and  unpleasant  surprise  was  in  store  for  him. 
His  horse  came  headlong  down  ;  he  had  barely  time  to 
free  his  feet  from  the  stirrups,  but  he  escaped  with  a  severe 
bruise  on  his  right  thigh.  The  poor  animal  could  not 
rise,  one  of  its  fore-legs  was  broken  above  the  pastern. 
After  having  exhausted  all  the  known  formulas  of  vexa- 
tion, the  Commandant  reflected  that  the  accident,  which 
was  so  sad  for  his  horse,  was  also  very  unpleasant  for  him- 
self. There  he  was,  five  leagues  from  Boghar,  and  how- 
was  he  to  get  back  on  foot,  in  the  great  heat,  and  hindered 
by  the  bruise,  which  became  more  and  more  painful  every 
moment.  It  was  impossible  for  him  to  wait  until  some- 
body should  come  to  look  for  him  ;  he  had  not  told  any 
person  whither  he  was  going  ;  and  besides,  he  was  in 
haste  to  get  back  that  he  might  send  a  veterinary  surgeon 
to  look  after  his  horse.  The  poor  animal  turned  its  eyes 
upon  him,  when  he  moved  away,  with  a  heartrending  look 
of  entreaty.  If  a  baggage -waggon  could  be  brought  to 
the  spot,  and  the  helpless  creature  carried  back  in  it  to  its 
stable,  it  might  yet  be  saved. 

Beasts,  like  men,  have  a  right  to  pity. 

The  Commandant  made  all  the  haste  he  could  ;  but  at 
the  end  of  an  hour's  painful  walking,  he  had  only  done 
three  kilometers,  and  he  could  hardly  go  a  step  farther. 
The  pain  had  spread  from  the  thigh  to  the  leg,  and, 
though  endurable  when  he  did  not  move  the  limb,  was 
intolerable  in  motion.  He  also  suffered  cruelly  from  the 
heat,  which  had  become  overpowering.  Four  leagues 
are  no  great  distance,  but  under  such  circumstances  they 
constitute  an  impossible  journey. 

The  Commandant's  only  hope  was  to  regain  the  military 
road,  where  some  fortunate  chance  might  send  him  the 
succour  he  so  much  needed.  He  dragged  himself  through 


DR.   J.    B.   QUlfcS. 


97 


the  wood  as  well  as  he  could,  stumbling  blindly  along, 
hardly  making  any  way,  until  at  length,  exhausted  with 
fatigue,  and  overcome  by  the  heat,  he  lay  down  upon  the 
ground,  unable  to  move.  The  grass  was  soft,  and  happily 


,*-•-: 

It  was  a  mule  !     A  mule  saddled  and  bridled. 

the  shade  was  deep.  He  stretched  himself  out  and  closed 
his  eyes  :  this  enforced  rest  gave  him  an  inexpressible 
sense  of  relief.  The  sun  did  not  get  at  the  little  corner 
where  he  lay,  and  it  was  cool.  He  was  thankfully  inhaling 
a  few  mouthfuls  of  fresh  air,  when  something  hot  and 
7 


98  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

damp,  like  breath,  passed  over  his  face.  He  reopened  his 
eyes,  and  found  himself  face  to  face,  or  rather  nose  to  nose 
in  the  most  literal  sense,  with  an  animal  looking  at  him  with 
big  eyes  full  of  amazement,  and  smelling  him  cautiously, 
while  its  big  ears  stood  up  in  the  air,  expressing  surprise  as 
eloquently  as  its  eyes. 

It  was  a  mule  !  A  mule  saddled  and  bridled  ;  in  other 
words,  it  was  rescue,  safety  !  In  a  second  the  Commandant 
stood  upright,  and  put  his  foot  in  the  stirrup.  Yes — but 
the  mule  belonged  to  somebody.  For  the  sake  of  his 
conscience,  the  Commandant  called  out  two  or  three 
times  : 

"  Hallo  !  hallo  !     Anybody  there  ? " 

No  answer. 

"  All  right,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  the  mule  belongs  to 
some  Arab  marauder.  He  will  not  fail  to  come  and  ask 
for  it,  and  then  he  shall  have  it." 

Without  any  farther  scruple  he  mounted  the  mule,  and, 
taking  the  road  to  Boghar,  reached  that  place  two  hours 
afterwards,  utterly  worn  out.  He  took  all  the  necessary 
measures  for  sending  aid  to  his  poor  horse  before  he  had 
his  own  bruise  attended  to  ;  then,  after  he  had  undergone 
a  good  rubbing,  he  went  to  bed  and  to  sleep,  and  awoke 
only  to  sit  down  to  dinner  with  Henri  and  the  Captain, 
who  had  come  back  well  pleased  with  the  result  of  their 
day's  excursion.  The  Commandant  was  preparing  to  relate 
the  particulars  of  his  misadventure,  when  the  door  was 
suddenly  thrown  open. 

"  Ah  !  who's  this  ? " 

"  Impossible  ! " 

"  You  !  " 

These  three  exclamations  were  uttered  simultaneously. 
And  not  without  reason,  for  it  was  Doctor  Quies  who  ,had 
entered  the  room.  Yes,  Doctor  Quies  in  person.  But, 
good  heavens,  in  what  a  state  !  Covered  with  dust  and 
perspiration,  as  red  as  a  peony,  his  eyes  starting  out  of 
his  head  !  He  made  an  unavailing  attempt  to  speak  ;  he 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


99 


could  only  throw  himself  into  the  arms  of  Henri  and 
the  Commandant.  After  that  effort  he  closed  his  eyes, 
and  let  himself  drop  into  a  seat.  No  explanation  was 
to  be  expected  from  him. 

The  Commandant  had  him  carried  to  his  own  room,  ard 


It  was  Dr.  Quies  who  entered  the  room. 

when  he  was  convinced  that  the  doctor  was  not  dead, 
since  he  was  snoring  loudly  enough  to  shake  the  window- 
panes,  he  went  downstairs  again,  and  resumed  his  place  at 
table,  muttering : 

"What   the   deuce    can   have  induced    Quies  to  come 
here?" 


100  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TREATS  OF  THE  EVENTS  WHICH  LED  TO  DOCTOR  J.  B. 
QUIES'  HAVING  MADE  AN  ADDITIONAL  JOURNEY  OF 
ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-EIGHT  KILOMETERS. 

QUIES  had  not  been  induced  to  do  anything  of  the  sort. 
Chance,  which  was  so  inexorably  against  him,  had  once 
more  played  him  a  cruel  trick.  We  think  it  well,  in  order 
to  show  (although  the  demonstration  be  accounted  super- 
fluous) of  what  small  and  insignificant  details  the  great 
events  of  life  are  composed,  to  relate  as  briefly  as  possible 
the  principal  facts  of  that  lamentable  Odyssey. 

When  Commandant  La  Carriole  and  Henri  were  about 
to  leave  Algiers,  they  came  to  bid  Quies  good-bye,  and 
the  former  asked  him  whether  he  wanted  anything. 

"  Nothing  but  rest,"  was  the  doctor's  curt  reply. 

It  had  not  occurred  to  him  that,  as  he  had  left  Saint- 
Pignon  with  one  hundred  francs  in  his  purse,  expended 
eighty-five  francs  seventy-five  centimes  on  the  day  of  the 
christening,  and  not  received  a  centime  since,  he  was  now 
the  possessor  of  precisely  fourteen  francs  twenty-five  cen- 
times. Reckoning  his  expenses  at  the  minimum  often  francs 
a  day,  it  was  evident  that  his  funds  would  not  last  long. 

Henri  and  the  Commandant  overlooked  this  little 
matter  as  completely  as  Quies  did.  They  did  not  expect 
to  be  more  than  a  month  away  ;  the  doctor  had  written 
to  Saint-Pignon — the  answer  to  his  letter  and  the  money 
would  arrive  together.  They  set  off,  therefore,  without 
any  prevision  of  the  future  embarrassment  of  their  unfor- 
tunate friend. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  1 01 

For  five  days  all  went  well.  Quies'  meals  were  served 
with  the  same  regularity,  and  he  received  the  same  almost 
obsequious  bow  from  the  hotel-keeper  and  the  servants 
each  time  that  he  crossed  the  vestibule,  when  venturing  to 
go  outside  the  door  for  a  walk  of  a  few  yards. 

On  the  sixth  day  he  observed  that  h:s  breakfast,  which 
had  hitherto  been  served  at  eleven  o'clock,  did  not  make 
its  appearance  until  twelve,  nor  was  his  dinner  served  until 
half-past  seven. 

On  the  eighth  day  his  breakfast  was  entirely  suppressed, 
and  when  he  went  downstairs  he  observed  that  its  cap 
remained  immovably  fixed  on  every  head. 

These  symptoms  would  have  been  perfectly  intelligible 
to  a  man  who  was  well  versed  in  the  ways  of  the  world. 
To  Doctor  J.  B.  Quies  they  only  afforded  matter  of 
surprise,  and  he  was  still  striving  to  solve  the  problem 
when,  two  days  afterwards,  a  waiter  brought  him  the 
solution  in  the  form  of  a  bill : — 

Apartment      -.         .  70  francs. 

Lights      .        •.         .     5      „ 

Breakfasts        .         .30      „ 

Dinners  .         .         .  50      „ 

Attendance      .•        .10      „ 

Total        .  165  francs. 

Quies  sent  for  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel,  and  explained 
to  him  that,  having  left  home  without  money,  he  could 
not  pay  the  bill  until  he  had  received  the  funds  which  he 
expected  from  France.  The  hotel-keeper  consented  to 
give  him  credit  until  the  arrival  of  the  next  steamer. 

Needless  to  say  that  Quies  watched  for  the  coming  of 
the  vessel  during  the  three  ensuing  days,  with  an  anxious 
eye.  One  fine  evening  the  steamer  came  in.  The  hotel- 
keeper,  who  had  been  watching  for  its  arrival  with  a  still 
more  anxious  eye,  himself  examined  all  the  letters  ad- 
dressed to  persons  staying  in  his  house.  There  was  one 
for  M.  J.  B.  Quies,  and  mine  host  took  it  upstairs  with 


IO2 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


his  own  hands,  and  presented  himself,  bareheaded  and 
with  his  most  gracious  smile,  before  the  guest,  to  whom  he 
was  ready  to  make  ample  and  humble  apologies  for  his 
misgivings. 

Quies  broke  the  seal,  unfolded  the  letter,  and  read, — 
"  DEAR  SIR, — I  do  not  understand  your  communication. 

What  do  you 
mean  by  :  '  Have 
I,  or  have  I 
not,  played  D  7 
R'?" 

"  Good  hea- 
vens ! "  exclaim- 
ed Quies,  "  I  have 
misdirected  my 
letter." 

The  proprietor 
of  the  hotel  put 
his  cap  on  his 
head,  and  his  bill 
in  his  pocket,  and 
left  the  room  with 
a  shrug  of  the 
shoulders  which 
said  as  plainly  as 
words  :  "If  this 
fellow  thinks  that 
I  am  going  to  be 
"  If  this  fellow  thinks  that  I  am  going  to  be  done  done  by  him —  !  " 
byhim!"  Every  traveller 

knows  that  on  his  travels  he  is  judged  by  his  appearance 
and  the  weight  of  his  trunks.  No  one,  therefore,  will  be 
surprised  that  Doctor  J.  B.  Quies,  who  had  arrived 
without  any  luggage  at  all,  and  in  a  dilapidated  con- 
dition, had  not  inspired  his  host  with  complete  con- 
fidence. He  had  been  given  only  just  so  much  credit  as 
was  consistent  with  the  mo;e  decent  appearance  of  his 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  103 

two  travelling-companions.  But  they  had  taken  their 
departure,  and  Quies,  to  use  a  phrase  more  significant 
than  choice,  now  stood  on  his  own  bottom.  Neither  Com- 
mandant La  Carriole  nor  M.  de  Malleville,  whose  name  he 
attempted  to  use,  was  known  at  the  hotel,  and  he  was  not 
acquainted  with  any  person  in  Algiers.  He  had,  therefore, 
no  valid  security  to  offer. 

He  asked  for  two  days'  respite,  and  this  favour  being 
granted  to  him,  he  employed  them  in  writing  again  to 
Maitre  Grimblot,  and  in  running  about  the  town.  The  two 
days  elapsed,  his  debt  was  increased,  and  he  was  politely 
shown  the  door  and  told  to  go  about  his  business.  The 
hotel-keeper  carried  his  generosity  so  far  as  to  forbear 
from  lodging  a  complaint  against  him.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  shame  of  the  thing,  Quies  would  have  been  de- 
lighted to  be  imprisoned.  To  sleep  in  prison  is,  after  all, 
to  find  a  bed  somewhere.  Now  the  poor  doctor  did  not 
know  where  to  find  a  bed. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  that  night  he  slept  beneath  the 
stars. 

Under  the  benign  sky  of  Algiers,  this  was  not  quite  so 
bad  as  it  sounds,  once  in  a  way,  but  it  was  totally  opposed 
to  the  ideas  and  the  habits  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  who  was 
very  fond  of  his  bed,  and  also  of  his  meals. 

Alas  !  the  latter  seemed  likely  to  be  as  insecure  hence- 
forth as  the  former  ;  a  fact  of  which  he  became  painfully 
aware  towards  noon,  when  it  was  his  harmless  custom  to 
consume  two  eggs,  a  cutlet,  a  dainty  morsel  of  cheese,  and 
a  bottle  of  good  French  wine.  By  collecting  the  remnant 
of  his  fortune,  he  was  enabled  for  that  one  day  to  sub- 
stitute a  piece  of  bread  for  the  eggs,  the  cutlet,  and  the 
cheese,  and  a  copious  draught  of  cold  water  for  the  bottle 
of  good  French  wine.  In  the  evening  he  dined  on  a  glass 
of  water.  The  next  day  he  did  not  breakfast  at  all,  and 
he  had  again  slept  beneath  the  stars. 

How  came  it,  we  shall  be  asked,  that  in  all  Algiers  there 
was  not  a  man  who  would  trust  the  placid  Quies,  whose 


104  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

kindly  round  face  beamed  with  candour  and  uprightness  ? 
Could  he  not,  when  the  worst  had  come  to  the  worst, 
have  applied  to  some  official  personage,  and  obtained, 
on  proof  of  his  identity,  a  loan  which  would  have  enabled 
him  to  await  his  friends'  return  or  Maitre  Grimblot's  answer  ? 

How  ?  why  ?  Because  one  does  not  in  general  see  the 
way  out  of  a  difficult  position  unless  one  is  not  interested 
in  it  one's  self;  because  it  is  easy  to  lose  one's  head,  and 
because  Doctor  J.  B.  Quies,  who  was  already  severely 
affected  by  the  shocks  he  had  sustained,  gave  way  under 
this  last  trial. 

Just  as  a  stray  dog  will  run  about  the  town  with  its 
nose  down,  looking  at  nobody,  seeking  no  one  but  its 
master,  being  sure  of  finding  shelter  nowhere  but  with 
him,  Quies,  lost  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  unknown  and 
indifferent  people,  felt  that  no  succour  was  to  be  hoped 
for  except  from  his  friends. 

Unhappily  his  friends  were  no  longer  there  ;  they  were 
at  Boghar. 

He  thought  at  first  of  apprising  them  of  his  terrible 
position  ;  but  he  was  not  only  doubtful  whether  he  could 
find  any  charitable  soul  who  would  undertake  to  carry 
such  a  message  gratis,  he  also  knew  that  he  could  not 
afford  to  wait  for  the  reply.  Harassed  and  hungry  as 
he  was,  he  should  be  dead  of  fatigue  and  want  ere  it 
arrived. 

His  last,  his  only  chance  of  rescue  was  to  rejoin  them, 
and  that  prospect  was  a  frightful  one  by  reason  of  the 
length  of  the  way  and  the  difficulty  of  the  enterprise. 

Quies  no  longer  possessed  a  centime,  and  the  reception 
he  had  met  with  over  and  over  again  within  the  last  forty- 
eight  hours,  left  him  no  room  to  hope  that  he  would  get 
credit  on  the  strength  of  his  looks  and  bearing  Perhaps 
he  did  not  even  think  of  asking  it,  and  he  directed  his 
steps  towards  the  office  of  the  diligences  from  Algiers  to 
Medeah  mechanically  rather  than  intentionally. 

It  was  starting-time.     The  heavy  vehicle,  drawn  by  five 


DR.   J.   B.   QUltS.  IO5 

horses,  was  ready  ;  several  passengers  had  already  taken 
their  places,  and  the  conductor  was  calling  over  the  names 
of  persons  who  had  engaged  seats. 

"  Monsieur  Letourneau  !  "  he  shouted. 

No  one  answered. 

The  conductor  looked  around  him,  stamped  his  foot 
impatiently,  and  again  vociferated, — 

"  Monsieur  Letourneau  ! " 

Silence  still. 

Quies,  moved  by  whom  or  by  what  we  know  not, 
stepped  forward. 

"  You  are  Letourneau,  are  you  ? "  said  the  conductor  to 
him. 

Quies  was  incapable  of  answering,  still  more  incapable 
of  perceiving  the  use  to  which  he  might  turn  this  mistake. 
He  hung  his  head  like  a  detected  criminal. 

"  If  you  are,  why  didn't  you  say  so  ? "  roared  the  angry 
conductor,  as  he  took  the  laggard  by  the  arm  and  pushed 
him  towards  the  diligence. 

Quies  set  his  left  foot  upon  the  steps,  not  so  much 
yielding  to  the  man's  bidding,  as  to  prevent  himself  from 
falling.  The  conductor  shoved  him  headforemost  into  the 
coupe,  and  banged  the  door.  Before  the  breathless  and 
bewildered  doctor  had  time  to  protest,  the  five  horses  were 
started  with  a  prodigious  cracking  of  the  driver's  whip,  and 
the  diligence  was  rattling  through  the  streets  of  Algiers. 
In  a  few  minutes  it  had  left  the  town  behind,  and  was 
speeding  towards  Blidah. 

Thus  it  was  that  Dr.  Quies,  under  the  name  of  Letour- 
neau, had  been  enabled,  without  money  or  resources,  to 
reach  Medeah  without  accident  or  inconvenience. 

It  would  need  the  pen  of  a  Balzac  or  a  Dickens  to  con- 
vey an  idea  of  the  looks,  the  gestures,  the  countenance, 
the  sighs  of  the  doctor,  as,  seated  at  a  table  in  the  dining- 
room  of  the  fort  at  Boghar,  with  a  cold  fowl  before  him, 
and  his  friends  listening  attentively,  he  told  the  story  of 
his  misfortunes. 


106  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

He  was  still  trembling  with  fright,  fever,  and  fatigue. 

"  Thank  heaven,  my  dear  doctor,"  said  Henri,  "  you 
have  come  out  of  it  all  to  your  great  honour.  You 
have  only  to  reimburse  this  Letourneau  for  the  cost  of  his 
place  in  the  diligence." 

"  Eh  !  eh  !  not  so  fast !  "  said  Quies.  "  I  shall  not  be 
able  to  reimburse  him  for  all  that  I  have  taken  from  him, 
or  rather  all  that  I  have  taken  in  his  name." 

"  Really  ?  "  said  La  Carriole  ;  "  how  is  that  ?  " 

"  You  may  suppose  that  when  we  had  started  I  was 
very  uneasy  as  to  how  my  involuntary  escapade  might 
end.  The  mistake  might  be  discovered,  a  chance  might 
ruin  me.  Perhaps  I  should  be  flung  out  on  the  road,  as  a 
vagabond,  if  I  were  not  arrested  as  a  common  cheat  ! 
Oh,  my  dear  friends,  when  the  diligence  stopped  at 
Medeah,  and  when  I  heard  a  big  fellow — I  can  see  him 
now  with  his  white  waistcoat  and  his  straw  hat — call  out 
to  the  conductor,  'Is  M.  Letourneau  there  ? '  I  would 
have  given  anything  to  have  been  six  feet  underground,  or 
at  least  active  enough  to  run  away.  It  was  impossible. 
The  conductor  opened  the  door  of  the  coupe,  and  said, 
pointing  to  me,  '  There  he  is,  M.  Salomon.'  To  my  great 
surprise,  just  as  I  was  about  to  step  down,  M.  Salomon 
stretched  out  his  hands  to  me,  and,  when  I  was  safely 
down,  took  me  by  the  arm.  '  You  are  not  going  to  the 
hotel,'  said  he;  'you  are  coming  home  with  me!  And 
you  must  not  think  of  starting  for  El  Aghwat  until  to- 
morrow. I  have  found  you  a  good  guide,  and  the  best 
mule  in  the  province/  The  only  thing  I  could  say  was, 
'Ah  !  ah  ! '  What  would  you  have  said  in  my  place  ?  You 
would  have  said,  '  I  am  not  Letourneau,  I  am  J.  B.  Quies, 
and  I  do  not  know  you.'  Yes,  yes  ;  that  is  all  very  well  ; 
but  I  was  dying  with  hunger.  Ah  !  I  assure  you  that 
never  in  my  life  did  I  eat  a  better  meal  than  that  one. 
When  the  dessert  came,  I  was  on  the  point  of  confessing 
all.  Fortunately  I  had  to  do  with  a  man  who  loves  to 
hear  himself  talk.  If  you  pass  through  Medeah  again, 


DR.   J.   B.    QUIES. 


107 


I  recommend  you  to  make  his  acquaintance.  Between 
breakfast  and  dinner  I  did  not  get  the  chance  of  saying 
ten  words.  Salomon  put  question  after  question  to  me, 


"There  he  is,  M.  Salomon." 

but  he  answered  them  all  himself,  for  which  I  am  infinitely 
obliged  to  him,  for  I  should  have  betrayed  myself  twenty 
times  over.  It  appears  that  I — that  is  to  say  Letourneau, 


108  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

with  whom  he  has  business  relations — had  sent  him,  a  few 
days  previously,  a  large  consignment  of  soft  goods.  I 
have  accepted  on  behalf  of  Letourneau  a  discount  of  six 
per  cent.,  and  an  abatement  of  144  francs  on  the  sum 
total.  After  that  stroke  of  business  I  went  to  bed. 
There  ! " 

Into  his  utterance  of  this  "  There  ! "  Doctor  J.  B.  Quies 
threw  such  an  accent  of  repentance  and  contrition,  accom- 
panied with  so  deep  a  sigh,  that  Henri  and  the  Com- 
mandant laughed  until  they  cried  ;  a  fit  of  hilarity  which 
the  doctor  forgave  all  the  more  readily  that  he  was  too 
busy  with  the  fragments  of  the  fowl  to  inquire  into  its 
cause. 

At  length  La  Carriole  recovered  his  gravity  sufficiently 
to  speak. 

"  That's  all  then,"  he  said,  "  so  far  as  Medeah.  Well 
and  good.  But  from  Medeah  out  here  ?  Fifteen  leagues, 
Quies ;  fifteen  leagues  !  Why,  it's  tremendous,  you  know  ! 
How  did  you  do  it  ?  " 

"  I  rode  Letourneau's  mule,  my  dear  friend  ;  and  I 
followed  Letourneau's  guide.  By  way  of  taking  a  short 
cut  this  fellow  took  me  by  a  horrible  path,  where  I  left 
fragments  of  my  clothes  and  my  skin  to  mark  my  passage  ! 
Oh,  I  would  not  do  it  over  again  for  a  kingdom.  I  fell 
fifteen  times." 

"  Once  for  each  league." 

"And  yet,  how  sorry  I  was  for  my  mule!" 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  asked  La  Carriole,  pricking  up 
his  ears. 

"This  morning,  when  the  heat  began  to  be  overpowering, 
my  guide  and  I  lay  down  to  rest  in  a  little  wood,  about 
five  leagues  from  this  place  ;  I  fell  asleep,  and  so  did  the 
guide." 

"  And  ? "  said  the  Commandant. 

"  While  we  slept  some  rascal  stole — " 

"  Your—  ? " 

La  Carriole  could   not  finish  the  sentence.      He   was 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


IO9 


seized  with  a  fit  of  laughter,  that  sort  of  nervous  laughter 
which  infects  a  whole  company.  In  an  instant,  Henri, 
the  Captain,  and  the  spahis  who  were  waiting  on  them, 
were  laughing  convulsively. 


From  Medeah  to  Boghar. 

Quies  only  did  not  laugh.  Indeed  this  merriment 
seemed  to  him  most  untimely. 

"  I  do  not  see — "  he  began  with  grim  gravity. 

"The  rascal,"  said  the  Commandant,  when  he  had 
recovered  his  breath,  "  the  robber." 

"Well?" 


IIO  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  Jt  was  I,  my  poor  dear  friend." 

"  You  ? " 

"  I,  myself.  I  had  hurt  myself  in  a  fall  from  my  horse  ; 
but  if  I  had  known — " 

"  You  would  have  left  me  my  mule  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  I  would  have  taken  you  up  behind  me." 

"  To  fall  for  the  sixteenth  time.  I  should  not  have 
arrived  alive.  Ah  !  no,  I  shall  never  be  caught  again." 

With  this  he  rose  from  the  table,  and  announced  that 
he  was  going  to  bed. 

"You  know,"  said  the  Commandant,  "that  we  start 
to-morrow  ? " 

"  Oh,"  cried  M.  de  Chany,  "  surely  you  will  give  the 
doctor  one  day  ?  " 

"  One  day,  then.     So  be  it." 

"  And,  besides,  we  have  arranged  a  wild-boar  hunt  for 
to-morrow." 

"  All  right.  The  wild-boars  to-morrow  ;  but  we  start 
the  day  after." 

"  A  good  journey  to  you,"  said  Quies  quietly. 

"We  shall  pick  you  up  on  our  way  back  in  a  fort- 
night." 

"  Thanks  ;  but  you  need  not." 

"  What ! " 

"  I  mean  to  remain  here." 

"  You  can't.  With  the  exception  of  the  fort,  Boghar  is 
uninhabitable.  And  the  fort — but  you  must  not  think  of 
such  a  thing." 

"  A  cabin  will  do  for  me  ;  a  hole  ;  anything  you  please. 
I  will  not  stir  from  hence." 

"As  you  please,"  said  Henri  and  La  Carriole,  laughing. 

Did  they  believe  in  the  doctor's  resolution  ?  Did  they 
think  it  useless  to  endeavour  to  dissuade  him  ?  Or  did 
they  merely  bear  in  mind  that  "the  night  brings  counsel"? 
We  cannot  tell.  At  any  rate  they  bade  their  host  good- 
night in  merry  mood,  and  went  off  together  to  make  their 
preparations  for  the  morrow. 


DR.  J.    B.   QUIES.  Ill 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

IN  WHICH  IT  WILL  BE  MADE  EVIDENT  THAT  DOCTOR 
J.  B.  QUIES  WAS  VERY  WRONG  TO  HAVE  PIGEONS 
STEWED  WHICH  OUGHT  TO  HAVE  BEEN  ROASTED. 

THE  numerous  wild  boars  in  the  vast  forest  of  O-Anteur 
and  the  smaller  forests  in  its  vicinity  did  not  hesitate  in 
those  days,  and  probably  do  not  hesitate  in  these,  to  make 
excursions  so  far  as  Boghar,  and  even  as  Boghari,  at  the 
entrance  of  the  valley  of  the  Chelif. 

The  tusked  brutes  had  arranged  many  parties  of  pleasure 
of  this  kind  during  the  year  that  witnessed  the  events 
now  in  progress  of  narration,  and  a  great  number  of  the 
inhabitants  had  helplessly  looked  on  at  the  ravages  com- 
mitted by  these  unmannerly  visitors  upon  their  gardens. 
Hunting-parties  had  been  organized  in  order  to  get  rid  of 
them,  and  in  several  places  pits  had  been  dug  on  the  boun- 
daries of  the  fields  and  gardens,  and  covered  over  with 
boughs.  But,  for  ten  wild  boars  caught  in  these  primitive 
traps,  twenty  others  had  come  out  of  the  wood,  and  the 
plague  was  increasing.  The  approaching  battue  promised 
magnificent  results,  judging  by  the  abundance  of  the 
game. 

Let  us  leave  our  sportsmen  to 'their  sport,  and  re- 
main at  Boghar  with  J.  B.  Quies. 

The  Commandant  had  asked  him,  for  politeness'  sake, 
whether  he  was  quite  determined  not  to  join  the  hunting- 
party.  He  had  not,  however,  even  waited  for  an  answer, 
but  galloped  off  with  the  parting  words, — 

"  Mind  you  look  after  our  dinner  " 


H2  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


Perhaps  it  may  be  difficult  to  believe  that  poor  Quies, 
still  bruised  and  smarting  from  the  journey  of  148  kilo- 
meters which  he  had  performed  in  so  strange  a  manner, 
could  be  in  a  condition  to  undertake  the  delicate  commission 
which  he  owed  to  his  well-known  experience  in  things 
gastronomical.  But  human  nature  is  so  constituted  that 
the  mind  becomes  hardened  like  the  body.  The  first  day's 
march  is  more  fatiguing  than  the  ten  which  come  after  ; 
the  first  pang  is  more  poignant  than  all  the  pains  that 
follow.  As  Dr.  Quies  advanced  step  by  step  on  the  road, 
along  which  he  was  impelled  by  some  invisible  power,  the 
period  of  prostration  that  ensued  upon  each  of  his  disasters 
was  less  prolonged. 

After  an  excellent  night  passed  in  a  good  bed,  he 
was  quite  surprised  to  find  that  his  limbs  hardly  ached 
at  all,  that  his  head  was  clear,  and  that  his  ideas  were 
distinct.  A  ray  of  sunshine,  the  incomparable  African 
sunshine,  stole  into  his  room  through  the  closed  shut- 
ters ;  the  soldiers  were  singing  as  they  went  about  their 
everyday  tasks. 

Around  him  all  was  bright  and  cheerful.  He  unfastened 
the  shutter  and  raised  the  window,  and,  indifferent  to  the 
beauties  of  nature  as  he  was  in  general,  he  could  not 
refrain  from  admiring  the  magnificent  panorama  formed 
by  the  plains,  and  the  mountains  stretching  from  Id  to 
Medeah.  Without  wishing  to  make  little  of  Saint-Pignon 
les  Girouettes,  he  had  to  admit  that  it  did  not  command 
so  fine  a  prospect.  This  involuntary  comparison  set  the 
doctor  thinking  of  the  town,  and  of  those  whom  he  never 
again  expected  to  see. 

In  reality  he  cared  little  about  resuming  his  former 
habits  and  labours,  provided  it  were  feasible  for  him  to 
settle  down  where  he  was,  and  stir  from  the  spot  no  more. 
The  more  one  drinks,  it  is  said,  the  more  one  wants  to 
drink.  The  more  Quies  travelled  the  less  he  wanted  to 
move.  Nevertheless  this  did  not  prevent  him  from  cross- 
ing the  courtyard  of  the  fort,  and  going  into  the  officers' 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  113 

canteen,  to  inspect  the  bill  of  fare,  and  approve  of  it  if  he 
could. 

At  the  moment  of  his  appearance  the  cook  had  just 


"  Make  a  stew  of  them,  of  course." 


finished  the  plucking  of  twelve  young  pigeons  which  were 
to  figure  as  a  roast  at  dinner. 

"A  heresy!"  exclaimed  Quies,  "a  rank  heresy!     Two 
roasts  !      Here  are  two  superb  bustards  which   can't    be 
cooked  in  any  other  way." 
8 


114  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  but  what  is  to  be  done  with  these  pigeons  ?  " 

"  Make  a  stew  of  them,  of  course." 

"But  I  have  no  mushrooms,  sir." 

"  No  mushrooms  !     You  have  no  mushrooms  !  " 

Dr.  Quies  left  the  canteen  with  uplifted  hands. 

There  is  only  one  step  between  the  regret  that  one  does 
not  possess  a  certain  thing  and  the  desire  to  procure  it.  By 
a  succession  of  natural  ideas,  Quies,  having  asked  himself 
why  mushrooms  were  not  cultivated  at  Boghar,  went  on  to 
inquire  whether  it  was  possible  to  cultivate  them  there. 
Having  answered  his  own  question  in  the  affirmative,  he 
formed  a  resolution  to  say  a  word  or  two  on  the  subject 
in  the  proper  quarter.  But,  long  before  a  mushroom- 
bed  laid  down  in  a  favourable  place  could  give  the 
desired  results,  the  subjects  of  this  interesting  one-sided 
botanical-culinary  discussion  would  have  been  .eaten  and 
digested. 

Quies  then  asked  himself  whether  it  might  not  be  pos- 
sible to  procure  mushrooms  on  the  present  occasion.  He 
looked  out  over  the  surrounding  country  with  an  inquiring 
eye,  and  uttered  a  very  significant  "  Parbleu  ! "  At  the 
distance  of  hardly  a  kilometer  from  Boghar,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Boghari,  lies  the  forest  of  O-Anteur,  and  from  his 
window,  Quies  could  discern  the  sparkling  of  some  little 
pools  on  its  border  which  the  sun  of  August  and  Sep- 
tember had  not  wholly  dried  up. 

Although  the  mushroom  grows  more  freely  in  northern 
countries,  it  was  not  impossible  that  specimens  of  that 
fungus  might  be  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  these 
damp  spots,  amid  the  thick  undergrowth  of  the  oaks,  elms, 
and  maples.  Dr.  Quies  was  not  a  member  of  eighteen 
learned  societies  for  nothing  ;  he  knew  he  could  select  his 
mushroom  without  any  fear  of  making  a  mistake.  Un- 
fortunately, he  would  have  to  make  a  journey  of  nearly  two 
thousand  yards,  there  and  back,  in  order  to  exercise  his 
discrimination. 

Was  this  worth  while  ? 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


After  having  weighed  the  pros  and  cons  of  the  question, 
he  decided  it  in  the  affirmative  ;  not  that  he  would  risk  a 
sunstroke  for  the  sake  of  eating  stewed  pigeons,  but  because, 
as  he  had  been  invested  with  the  responsibility  of  the 
dinner,  he  wished  to  repay  the  hospitality  of  his  temporary 
companions  by  making  a  sacrifice  for  their  benefit,  and 
giving  them  a  pleasant  surprise. 

After  all,  two   kilo-  

meters  do  not  mean 
much  to  a  man  who 
has  just  done  nearly 
two  thousand  seven 
hundred  ;  so  he  reso- 
lutely buttoned  him- 
self into  a  white  jacket, 
rather  too  tight  for  him, 
put  on  a  straw  hat, 
which  was  much  too 
large,  provided  him- 
self with  an  old  um- 
brella, and  a  botanist's 
tin  box,  which  he  had 
found  among  some 
lumber,  and  started. 
The  heat  at  that  hour 
of  the  day  was  not 
above  28  degrees. 

Slowly,  softly,  blow- 
ing, perspiring,  pausing, 
going  on  again,  now 
by  narrow  footpaths,  and  again  where  there  were  none, 
he  at  last  attained  his  goal,  and  seated  himself  with  a  sigh 
of  content  in  the  shade  of  an  oak  and  maple  grove,  near 
a  little  pool  with  a  fragrant  border  of  wild  mint,  marjoram, 
rosemary,  and  asphodel. 

An  hour's  rest  was  indispensable  to  him.  He  took  two, 
then  rose,  and  began  to  explore  the  ground  with  the  slow- 


Provided  himself  with  an  old  umbrella,  and 
started. 


Il6  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 

ness  of  a  lazy  man,  and  the  minuteness  of  a  savant.  In 
less  than  an  hour  he  had  his  box  full  of  mushrooms  of  all 
the  various  edible  kinds.  He  could  not  have  found  so 
extensive  an  assortment  in  the  Paris  market. 

He  had  then  only  to  get  back  to  Boghar,  and  to  super- 
intend the  stewing  of  the  pigeons.  But  the  sun  was 
shining  fiercely  on  the  edge  of  the  shady  grove.  It  was 
beyond  his  strength  to  quit  the  cool,  beneficent  shelter, 
and  the  fresh  and  perfumed  border  of  the  pool.  He 
yielded — easily,  it  must  be  owned — to  the  temptation, 
and,  lying  down  in  the  grass,  observing  with  one  eye  while 
he  slept  with  the  other,  he  sketched  the  outline  of  a  work 
upon  the  Algerian  Flora,  which,  added  to  his  previous 
works,  could  not  fail  to  enhance  his  legitimate  reputation. 

When  the  sun  began  to  decline,  Quies  rose,  and  set  off 
in  the  direction  of  Boghar,  with  the  reluctant  suddenness 
of  a  man  who  has  painfully  resolved  to  get  up  an  hour 
earlier  than  usual  in  the  morning.  In  order  to  shorten 
the  tedium  of  the  road,  as  well  as  to  reach  the  fort  and  the 
pigeons  more  quickly,  he  drew  an  imaginary  straight  line 
from  his  starting-point  to  the  redoubt,  and  followed  it, 
keeping  his  eye  fixed  upon  the  goal,  as  though  he  hoped 
that  the  magnetism  of  his  gaze  would  make  the  mountain 
come  to  him. 

Needless  to  say,  the  mountain  did  not  move.  On  went 
Quies,  head  up,  eyes  front,  mechanically  lifting  his  feet  to 
avoid  catching  them  in  the  brambles,  or  stumbling  over 
the  stones.  He  would  have  done  better  if  he  had  bent  his 
head  and  looked  about  him. 

When  he  had  accomplished  just  half  his  journey,  and 
was  about  to  strike  into  the  military  road,  within  ten 
minutes  from  Boghar,  with  the  goal  in  view,  the  ground 
gave  way  beneath  his  tread,  and  he  disappeared  into  the 
depths  of  the  earth,  with  a  prodigious  crash  of  broken 
boughs. 

He  was  stunned  for  a  moment,  but  he  presently  rose, 
feeling  thankful  that  he  was  able  to  do  so.  A  layer  of 


DR.   J.    B.   QU1ES. 


117 


sand  had  broken  his  fall.  Having  ascertained  that  he 
was  not  hurt,  he  proceeded  to  investigate  the  causes  and 
effects  of  this  fresh  accident,  that  is  to  say,  why  he  had 
fallen,  and  into  what  manner  of  place  fate  had  decreed  that 
he  should  fall.  A  glance  sufficed  to  explain  the  situation. 
He  was  in  one  of  the  pits  recently  prepared  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  wild  boars.  At  first  sight  there 


The  ground  gave  way  beneath  his  tread. 

seemed  to  be  no  great  cause  for  alarm,  but  on  a  closer 
examination  matters  assumed  a  singularly  unpleasant 
aspect.  The  pit  was  six  or  seven  feet  deep,  and  on  three 
sides  there  was  no  possible  means  of  escape  ;  for  they  were 
formed  of  convex  blocks  of  granite  as  smooth  as  marble. 
The  fourth  side,  dug  out  of  a  sandy  soil ,  was  raised  three 
or  four  feet  above  the  others,  so  that  there  was  a  height  of 
ten  feet  to  be  scaled.  Quies,  who  had  never  in  his  life 


Il8  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

achieved  such  a  feat,  did  not  even  dream  of  attempting  it, 
and  could  think  of  no  other  resource  than  shrieking  for 
assistance  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

After  an  hour  of  this  exercise,  his  voice  was  gone,  and 
nobody  had  come. 

"  Well  !  well !  "  said  he,  as  at  last  he  sat  down  despair- 
ingly at  the  bottom  of  the  pit,  "  I  am  doomed  !  An  evil 
genius  is  bent  on  my  destruction.  That  was  an  accursed 
day  on  which  I  left  Saint-Pignon  !  I  may  die  of  hunger  in 
this  pit.  If  they  search  for  me  they  will  never  come  here, 
and  even  if  they  take  this  road,  if  I  have  no  voice  to  call 
them  with,  my  friends  will  pass  close  to  me  and  not  see 
me.  Ah  !  I  am  lost  !  I  am  lost ! " 

His  fit  of  despondency  did  not  last  long. 

No  man,  however  timid  or  helpless,  lets  himself  die  in 
a  pit,  without  having  tried  to  get  out  of  it. 

The  doctor's  first  proceeding  was  carefully  to  examine 
the  boughs  which  had  been  spread  over  this  abominable, 
treacherous  hole,  and  had  gone  down  into  it  with  him.  If 
he  had  found  one  of  sufficient  length  among  them,  he 
might  have  been  able  to  stick  it  down  firmly  in  the  sand 
and  climb  up  by  its  aid,  little  as  he  was  used  to  any  such 
bodily  exercises  ;  but  no  such  means  of  escape  was  avail- 
able. The  boughs  were  all  short,  thin,  dry,  and  broken.  On 
realizing  this  fresh  disappointment,  he  again  desponded 
for  a  short  but  very  bitter  period. 

An  ordinary  man  would  have  taken  two  hours,  perhaps, 
to  scoop  out  holes  in  the  sandy  side  of  the  pit,  and  get 
out  by  climbing  up  to  the  surface  by  their  aid  ;  double 
the  time  would  be  little  enough  for  Quies  to  do  it  in.  No 
matter  !  hope  had  revived  in  his  breast.  He  took  off  his 
jacket,  rolled  up  his  shirt  sleeves,  and  set  to  work.  Partly 
with  his  hands,  and  partly  with  a  twig,  rather  bigger 
and  tougher  than  the  others,  in  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  he  made  a  hole  in  the  wall  of  his  prison  large  enough 
to  give  him  a  foot-hold.  He  put  his  foot  into  it,  and  the 
whole  thing  gave  way  and  came  tumbling  down  under  his 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  119 

weight.  To  make  a  second  hole  would  simply  be  to 
undermine  the  side  of  his  pit,  and  expose  himself  to  the 
danger  of  an  earthfall  by  which  he  might  be  buried  alive. 
He  reflected  for  a  moment  and  again  took  heart.  By 
attacking  the  wall  of  sand  half  way  up,  he  might  bring 
about  small  earthfalls,  and  by  degrees  substitute  a  gentle 
slope  for  the  vertical  barrier  which  stood  between  him  and 
freedom. 

It  would  take  eight  or  ten  hours  to  accomplish  this.  Never 
mind  !  Quies  had  gone  through  worse  things,  and  survived 
them.  He  set  to  work  resolutely,  and  his  first  efforts  were 
crowned  with  success.  Nevertheless,  fast  and  hard  as  he 
worked,  not  a  third  of  his  task  was  done  when  night 
came,  starry,  and  light,  like  our  days  in  Europe. 

Breathless  and  feverish,  he  toiled  on.  His  only  thought 
was  how  to  get  out  of  that  hole.  He  worked  all  night  ; 
all  night  he  tore  at  the  earth  with  his  hands.  He  was 
near  the  end  of  his  labours,  a  vague,  uncertain  gleam  was 
already  spreading  over  the  sky,  when  he  heard  the  sound 
of  wheels  and  the  tread  of  men  and  horses  on  the  road 
above  him,  not  a  hundred  yards  away.  He  strove  to  cry 
out,  but  his  voice  was  gone. 

"  No  matter,"  said  he  to  himself,  stoutly,  "  in  ten  minutes 
I  shall  be  free." 

Poor  Quies  ! 

How  was  it  that  nobody  at  Boghar  had  perceived  his 
absence  ?  How  was  it  that  no  search  was  made  for  him  ? 

After  a  long  and  fatiguing  day's  sport,  Commandant  La 
Carriole  and  his  companions  had  returned  to  the  fort,  but 
not  until  after  nightfall.  They  had  all  eaten  as  much  as 
they  needed  on  the  way  ;  they  were  all  very  tired,  and 
anxious  to  go  to  rest  without  delay.  They  were  to  leave 
Boghar  at  dawn  the  next  morning,  and  would  have  only 
about  two  hours  for  rest.  La  Carriole  and  Henri  took 
it  for  granted  that  Quies  had  been  asleep  for  hours  before 
they  returned,  and  merely  for  form's  sake,  they  called  cut 
"  good-night  ! "  as  they  passed  his  door.  On  coming 


I2O 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


down,  before  sunrise,  they  had  not  the  heart  to  arouse  him 
from  the  slumber  he  prized  so  much,  and  they  mounted 
their  horses  and  rode  away,  having  slipped  under  his  door 
a  paper  on  which  Henri  had  written  "  au  revoir." 

The  detachment  which  left  Boghar  consisted  of  a  com- 
pany of  the  ist  regiment  of  Engineers,  and  four  waggons. 
At  half-past  3  a  m.  all  was  in  readiness,  except  the  fourth 
waggon,  laden  with  straw.  One  of  the  saddle-girths  of  the 


"  Eh  !  it's  the  old  lunatic  from  yonder  !  " 

near  horse  was  broken,  and  it  would  take  half  an  hour  to 

repair  it. 

The  captain  was  anxious  to  start  in  order  to  avoid  the 

great  heat.     He  gave  orders  to  set  out  after  he  had  said 

to  the  driver  of  the  fourth  waggon, — 

"  You  must  come  on  at  the  trot  to  overtake  us." 

The   little   troop    left  Boghar,   and    advanced   towards 

Boghari   to    take   the   military    road  to  El   Aghwat.      A 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


121 


quarter  of  an  hour  afterwards,  the  last  waggon  set  out  in 
its  turn,  and  the  driver,  according  to  his  orders,  started  at 
the  trot.  He  had  gone  about  500  yards  from  the  fort 
when  a  cry  of  "  Holloa  !  hi  ! "  uttered  in  a  feeble  voice> 
made  him  turn  his  head. 

A  man,  half  buried  in  the  earth,  was  calling  to  him,  and 
gesticulating  wildly. 

"  Eh  ! "  growled  the  driver,  "  it's  the  old  lunatic  from 
yonder!"  and  without  asking  him  why  or  how  he  came 
there  at  such  an  hour,  and  in  such  a  condition,  he  got 
down,  helped  Quies  to  emerge  completely  from  his  pit, 
and  hoisted  him  up  on  his  waggon  among  the  bundles  of 
straw.  The  doctor,  on  his  side,  was  equally  free  from 
obtrusive  curiosity  ;  he  did  not  ask  whither  the  waggon 
was  going  ;  but,  immensely  delighted  to  find  himself 
stretched  upon  fresti  straw,  he  promptly  fell  into  the  heavy 
sleep  that  follows  feverish  exertion. 


122  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MADEMOISELLE   HAYDEE. 

THE  Chelif  valley,  below  Boghari,  is  one  of  the  dreariest 
regions  of  the  earth.  Throughout  its  extent  there  is 
no  vegetation,  not  a  tree,  not  a  blade  of  grass  ;  desolate 
hillocks,  shapeless,  yellowish  mounds,  are  the  only  varia- 
tions of  the  surface  of  the  hard  and  shining  ground,  which 
reflects  the  pitiless  rays  of  the  sun  like  a  mirror.  No 
living  creature  inhabits  this  solitude.  Sometimes  it  is 
crossed  by  crows  and  vultures  as  they  wing  their  heavy 
flight  back  to  the  wooded  heights  of  Boghar. 

Dr.  Quies  would  inevitably  have  died  of  the  heat  in  the 
midst  of  this  desert  if  he  had  not  slipped  down,  by  reason 
of  his  weight,  between  two  bundles  of  straw,  which  united 
their  edges  above  his  prostrate  body,  and  formed  a  perfect 
shelter  for  him.  The  double  result  of  this  happy  chance 
was  that  he  was  saved  from  sunstroke,  and  also  hidden 
from  the  observation  of  his  companions  when  the  latter 
made  their  first  halt  at  Dalna-Kalala,  to  avoid  the  great 
heat  of  the  day.  Quies  heard  neither  the  shouting  nor  the 
singing  of  the  men,  nor  the  neighing  of  the  horses.  He 
heard  nothing  ;  he  slept. 

At  about  four  o'clock  they  started  again.  Quies  was 
still  asleep,  and  he  saw  nothing  of  the  wild  aspect  of  the 
defile  which  forms  the  extreme  boundary  of  Tell,  or  the 
marvellous  prospect  that  rejoices  the  eyes  of  the  astonished 
wayfarer  on  emerging  from  that  mountainous  track. 
Before  them  lies  the  first  great  plain  of  the  south,  green 
all  the  way  to  the  horizon  ;  a  plain  of  thirty  leagues  in 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


123 


extent,  with  nothing  but  the  faint,  vague  outline  of 
mountains  in  the  far  distance  .to  arrest  the  eye,  and 
here  and  there,  like  specks,  the  camps  of  the  Waled- 
Mokhtar. 

When  evening  fell,  the  detachment  encamped  on  this 
wide  plateau  at  Ain-Wasern,  about  twelve  leagues  from 
Boghar,  on  the  edge  of  a  marsh,  which  French  industry 
has  since  turned  into  a  vast  tank. 

A  trumpet-blast  awoke  Dr.  Quies,  and  he  emerged 
from  the  straw  like  a  Jack-in-the-box.  Then  he  cast 


He  emerged  from  the  straw  like  a  Jack-in-the-box. 

his  eyes  on  every  side  of  him,  and  uttered  such  a 
cry  of  bewilderment  and  grief  that  the  Commandant 
and  Henri,  who  were  walking  about  arm  in  arm,  beguil- 
ing the  time  before  supper,  turned  sharply  round  and 
perceived  him. 

"  Dr.  Quies  !  " 

"You!!" 

"  Impossible  ! " 

"  What  the  devil  are  you  doing  there  ? " 

They  advanced  smiling,  and  with  outstretched  hands  ; 
but  Quies,  in  utter  despair,  had  replunged  his  head  under 


124  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

the  straw,  as  an  ostrich  hides  its  head  under  its  wing,  and 
nothing  could  induce  him  to  move.  Henri  proposed  that 
they  should  have  the  waggon  emptied. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  La  Carriole,  laughing  ;  "  hunger 
drives  the  wolf  out  of  the  wood." 

Proverbs,  which  pass  for  being  the  wisdom  of  nations, 
are  so  often  deceptive,  that  we  are  bound  to  do  justice  to 
the  accuracy  of  this  one.  The  Commandant  had  not, 
however,  so  early  an  opportunity  of  testing  its  exactness 
as  he  expected.  A  whole  night  and  a  day  passed  with- 
out the  doctor's  giving  any  sign  of  life,  and  by  that 
time  the  detachment  had  reached  the  left  shore  of  the 
great  lake  Zahres,  near  Chazza  el  Maserah,  and  was 
encamped  at  the  edge  of  a  tamarind  wood.  Then  did 
Quies,  all  in  disorder,  and  with  his  eyes  starting  out  of  his 
head,  tumble  out  of  his  waggon,  and,  without  uttering  a 
word,  seat  himself  in  the  vicinity  of  his  companions,  who 
were  preparing  to  do  honour  to  a  plentiful  and  succulent 
repast. 

He  ate  and  drank  voraciously,  and,  when  he  could  eat 
no  more,  he  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven,  wrung  the  hands  of 
his  friends, — but  without  making  any  attempt  to  answer 
their  questions, — and  climbed  back  into  his  waggon,  alone 
and  unassisted,  with  the  sombre  resolution  of  one  con- 
demned to  death. 

On  the  morrow,  and  on  the  following  days,  he  reappeared 
at  the  same  hour,  still  pale,  mournful,  and  obstinately 
silent.  He  ate,  he  drank,  he  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven, 
and  he  vanished  into  his  waggon. 

Profound  misery  was  so  plainly  to  be  read  in  his  coun- 
tenance, that  the  Commandant  and  Henri,  both  of  whom 
were  sincerely  attached  to  him,  but  who  had  at  first 
laughed  at  this  fresh  adventure,  which  they  were  totally 
unable  to  explain,  now  began  to  be  alarmed  about  its  pos- 
sible consequences.  They  made  such  strenuous  efforts  to 
rouse  Quies,  that  at  Djelfa,  being  probably  bewildered  by 
the  noise  and  movement  about  him  (it  was  a  marching 


DR.   J.   B.   QUltS.  125 

day),  he  yielded  to  their  urgency  and  made  up  his  mind 
to  speak. 

"  Well,  well,  my  good  friend,"  said  La  Carriole,  "  there's 
no  great  harm  done  after  all.  You  are  seeing  the  country, 
and  you  will  have  an  opportunity  of  writing  a  charming 
book,  which  will  greatly  enhance  your  reputation." 

"  I  shall  write  no  more  books  ! " 

"  Nonsense.  We  shall  have  arrived  in  five  or  six 
days." 

"  Five  or  six  days  !  " 

"  And  we  shall  see  De  Malleville,  and  set  out  again 
with  him." 

"  And  in  three  weeks  at  the  latest,"  said  Henri,  "  we 
shall  be  back  in  Algiers." 

"  You  will  not  take  me  back  there  alive,"  sighed  Quies. 
"  No,  my  friends,  no.  It  is  too  much  for  me.  I  feel  that 
I  am  lost  !  Each  step  in  advance  costs  me  a  year  of  my 
life.  I  was  not  born  to  travel." 

"Promise  us,  nevertheless,  that  you  will  remain  and 
come  back  with  us." 

"  I  must.  I  can't  help  myself.  I  cannot  settle  down  in 
the  middle  of  the  Sahara  for  the  rest  of  my  life." 

"  Ah,  I  see  your  meaning,  Quies,"  said  the  Com- 
mandant. "  The  rest  of  your  life.  You  don't  think 
yourself  so  near  death,  then  ?  " 

Quies  shook  his  head  despondently,  but  made  no  answer. 
He  was  then  in  the  great  square  of  Djelfa,  and  a  crowd  of 
Arabs,  Kabyles,  negroes,  Spahis,  and  ragged  women  and 
children  swarmed  about  him.  He  paid  no  attention  to 
them,  but  followed  his  companions  sadly,  dined  with  them 
sadly,  and  when  the  hour  of  departure  came,  got  into  his 
waggon  sadly,  and  disappeared  under  the  straw. 

No  incident  worthy  of  record  occurred  during  the  last 
days  of  that  too  long  journey.  The  detachment  arrived  in 
safety  at  Awhata,  a  small  town  in  the  Sahara,  built  upon 
a  height  above  a  ravine.  This  position  has,  or  rather  it 
may  have  hereafter,  a  certain  importance  from  the  military 


126  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

point  of  view,  and  that  fact  was  no  doubt  the  reason  why 
M.  Lefevre  had  been  sent  thither,  had  taken  M.  de 
Malleville  with  him,  and,  lastly,  had  summoned  the 
detachment,  in  whose  train  arrived  Commandant  La 
Carriole,  Henri,  and  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies. 

M.  de  Malleville,  concerning  whom  we  have  only  a  few 
words  to  say,  was  fifty  years  of  age,  tall  and  thin,  and  with 
a  cool,  resolute  manner.  He  wore  his  grey  hair  very 
short,  and  his  still  black  moustache  very  long.  His  ill- 
fortune  had  marked  his  physiognomy  with  the  impress  of 
gloom,  but  the  expression  of  his  bright  and  determined 
eyes  was  that  of  an  unconquered  will ;  he  did  not  acknow- 
ledge himself  beaten,  but  was  ever  ready  for  conflict,  and 
would  to  the  end  strive  to  secure  the  future  of  his  son. 
Henri  was  his  idol.  Great  was  his  joy  at  seeing  him 
again,  greater  still  his  amply-justified  surprise  at  seeing 
him  accompanied  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  whom  he  had  reason- 
ably taken  to  be  incapable  of  leaving  the  good  town  of 
Saint- Pignon  les  Girouettes. 

We  will  leave  the  father  and  son  to  all  the  happiness  of 
their  meeting,  and  follow  the  doctor,  our  hero,  who  had 
slipped  into  one  of  the  huts — we  dare  not  call  them  houses 
— which  were  temporarily  put  up  at  Awhata  during  the 
preliminary  works  and  the  survey  of  the  district. 

Poor  Quies  seemed  to  have  conceived  a  distinct  enmity 
to  life  and  mankind.  He  no  longer  wanted  repose  only  ; 
he  had  need  of  solitude.  The  sound  of  human  speech 
was  irksome  to  him.  He  would  not  answer,  and  he  did 
not  question.  The  machine  that  was  to  him  Quies,  was 
seriously  out  of  order.  To  recall  him  to  proper  self-con- 
sciousness, and  reawaken  some  life  and  spirit  in  him,  one 
of  those  fortuitous  occurrences  which  bring  about  a  sudden 
reaction  was  sorely  needed.  Chance  is  never  short  of 
expedients,  as  we  are  about  to  see. 

The  house  in  which  the  engineer  officers  and  their  com- 
panions were  lodged,  consisted  only  of  a  ground  floor, 
divided  into  seven  or  eight  rooms,  which  communicated 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


127 


with  each  other  by  means  of  doors  which  were  always 
open.  Quies  had  taken  up  his  abode  in  the  smallest  of 
these,  a  sort  of  cage,  and  out  of  this  he  never  came  except 
at  meal-times.  On  those  occasions,  however,  he  observed 
a  mathematical  punctuality. 

One  evening,  at  dinner-hour,  he  had  just  taken  his  place 


It  half-opened  its  jaws,  and  uttered  a  roar  of  satisfaction. 

at  the  table,  and,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  his  plate,  was 
beating  the  devil's  tattoo  with  his  fork,  when  a  hairy  head 
insinuated  itself  between  his  arm  and  his  breast,  and  at 
the  same  time  a  cold  damp  nose  rubbed  itself  on  his  face. 
He  instinctively  put  his  hand  on  the  back  of  the  familiar 
animal,  and  returned  its  politeness  by  stroking  it.  The 


128  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

creature  was  probably  sensible  of  this  act  of  deference  on 
the  part  of  a  person  worthy  of  so  much  consideration, 
for  it  half-opened  its  jaws  and  uttered  a  roar  of  satisfaction 
which  made  Quies  start  up  from  his  chair. 

"  What's  that  ?  what's  that  ?  "  he  called  out  in  a  great 
fright. 

"That,"  said  Commandant  Lefevre,  who  had  just  come 
in,  "  is  Mdlle.  Haydee." 

"  Mdlle.  Haydee  ? " 

"  Yes.  A  young  lioness.  I  took  her  from  the  cradle, 
and  have  brought  her  up  by  hand.  She  is  as  gentle  as  a 
lamb,  as  obedient  as  a  spaniel,  and  as  intelligent  as  a 
monkey." 

Quies  had  heard  enough.  He  regarded  the  white  tusks 
of  Mdlle.  Haydee  with  many  misgivings,  and  we  are 
obliged  to  confess  that  he  dined  ill  and  slept  worse.  Mdlle. 
Haydee,  to  whom  the  entire  building  was  absolutely  free, 
and  who  roamed  about  it  just  as  she  pleased,  took  a  fancy 
to  pass  that  night  in  the  doctor's  room,  and  even  carried 
her  friendly  advances  so  far  as  to  rest  her  head  against  his 
portly  form. 

To  turn  out  a  personage  of  the  importance  of  Mdlle. 
Haydee  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  Supposing  she  were 
to  take  offence !  He  preferred  to  keep  himself  wide 
awake  and  ready  to  call  for  assistance  in  case  of  acci- 
dent. 

It  was  strange,  but  true,  that  Dr.  Quies,  the  true  Quies, 
the  hearty,  expansive,  talkative  Quies,  had  reappeared. 
All  day  he  was  at  the  heels  of  La  Carriole,  questioning, 
answering,  chattering.  When  the  Commandant  escaped 
from  him  he  laid  hold  of  Henri  or  M.  de  Malleville.  His 
ardent  desire  for  repose  and  solitude  had  vanished  like  a 
puff  of  smoke  before  a  blast  of  wind. 

Mdlle.  Haydee  followed  him  persistently,  cocking  her 
ears,  licking  her  lips,  and  breathing  deep  ;  a  fact  which 
leads  us  to  believe  that  the  excellent  doctor  dreaded 
a  tete-a-tete  with  the  admirable  animal.  The  salutary 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


129 


result    of  his    fear    was    to    restore    him     to    his    former 
self. 

If  you  put  a  pistol  into  the  hand  of  a  person  who  is 
tired  of  life,  the  odds  are  ten  to  one  that  he  will  promptly 
return  it  to  you,  and  he  will  do  well.  The  doctor  took  no 
pleasure  whatever  in  the  prospect  of  being  snapped  up 
one  fine  morning  like  a  sparrow  by  Mdlle.  Haydee,  and 
from  thence  we  may  conclude  that,  although  he  had 
reached  the  point  of  wishing  to  die,  he  still  preferred  to 
select  the  manner  of  his  death.  When  one  comes  to 


Familiarity  of  Mdlle.  Haydee. 

.that,  one  does  not  want  to  die  at  all.  The  inten- 
tions of  the  young  lioness  meanwhile  seemed  perfectly 
pacific.  She  had  merely  taken  a  great  fancy  to  the  new 
comer  who  had  stroked  her  so  gently.  Quies  suited  her, 
and  she  liked  him.  Those  are  things  concerning  which  it 
is  vain  to  reason.  She  followed  him.  Where  he  went 
she  went ;  at  table  she  sat  by  his  side  ;  when  he  went  out 
she  stalked  solemnly  behind  him,  and  rubbed  her  head 
against  his  legs  ;  at  night  she  stayed  in  his  room.  Every- 
where Haydee  ! 
9 


130 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


The  quantity  of  ground  the  well-meaning  beast  made 
Quies  cover  in  a  week  was  prodigious,  especially  when  the 
character  and  habits  of  the  good  doctor  are  considered. 
And  this,  alas  !  was  but  the  beginning  of  another  stage  of 
the  incredible  journey  to  which  our  unhappy  hero  was 
destined. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUIES.  131 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

IN   WHICH   DR.    QU.IES    RIDES   ON    HORSEBACK     FOR     THE 
FIRST   TIME   IN   HIS    LIFE. 

AFTER  he  had  passed  a  fortnight  in  the  plateau  of 
Awhata,  Commandant  Carriole  began  to  get  tired  of  it. 
So  long  as  the  engineering  works  were  merely  in  a  state 
of  projection  he  was  interested  in  them,  but  when  they 
were  put  in  execution  their  slow  monotony  wearied  him. 
Being  sick  of  levelling  and  trenching,  he  resorted  to  his 
favourite  pastime  and  exercise,  sport,  and  he  found  that 
the  surrounding  country  offered  inexhaustible  resources. 

The  vast  plain  which  lies  to  the  south  of  Awhata  is 
studded  so  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  with  da'ias,  as  the 
Arabs  call  the  little  groves  of  jujube-trees,  in  which 
partridges,  bustards,  hares,  and  gazelles  abound.  In  two 
days,  and  though  he  only  went  out  in  the  morning 
before  sunrise  and  in  the  evening  at  sunset,  he  had  killed 
more  than  fifty  head  of  game.  But  this  very  success 
wearied  him.  One  of  the  great  charms  of  sport  consists 
in  the  expectation,  the  anxiety,  the  uncertainty,  and  the 
difficulty  that  accompany  it.  If,  at  the  first  step  one 
makes,  the  quarry  runs  between  one's  legs  and  allows 
itself  to  be  killed,  there  is  no  pleasure  in  the  chase.  One 
soon  gets  tired  of  attacking  creatures  that  do  not  defend 
themselves  with  the  weapons  given  them  by  Nature- 
cunning  or  speed. 

The  third  day  Commandant  La  Carriole  did  not  go  out 
shooting  ;  he  yawned  all  day  long  instead.  He  had 
begun  to  long  for  the  completion  of  the  works,  and  a 


132 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS  OF 


return  to  less  facile  pleasures.  Indeed,  he  had  already 
pressed  M.  de  Malleville  and  Commandant  Lefevre  on 
this  subject  more  than  once.  His  friends  were,  therefore, 
very  reasonably  surprised  when,  the  ardently-desired  day 
being  come,  he  begged  for  a  delay  on  the  score  of  an 
important  affair.  His  proceedings  had  become  quite 
mysterious  ;  he  had  been  seen  to  saddle  his  horse  and  set 
out  at  a  gallop  in  the  direction  of  an  Arab  encampment, 
two  or  three  kilometers  from  Awhata.  With  the  tacit 


He  had  been  seen  to  set  out  at  a  gallop. 

assent  of  the  officers,  he  had  given  the  strangest  orders  to 
the  Spahis  on  the  subject  of  the  horses  under  their  charge. 
No  more  green  food,  half-rations  of  barley,  and  a  daily 
march  out  in  the  full  sunshine.  Although  it  was  now 
early  in  October,  this  was  very  hard  upon  the  poor 
animals,  and  they  lost  flesh  perceptibly.  The  Command- 
ant's companions  were  puzzled  mightily,  but  to  all  their 
questions  he  returned  only  one  answer, — 

"  Leave  me  to  myself ;  I  am  preparing  a  surprise  for  you." 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  133 

The  surprise  seemed  likely  to  become  a  mystification, 
when  one  morning  La  Carriole  exclaimed,  rubbing  his 
hands, — 

"  Everything  is  ready ;  we  start  to-morrow." 

"  For  —  ?  "  asked  all  present  simultaneously. 

"  For  an  expedition  that  will  last  ten  or  twelve  days." 

"  Where  to  ?  " 

"  Towards  the  south  ? " 

"  And  what  are  we  to  do  towards  the  south  ? " 

"  To  hunt  ostriches." 

This  announcement  was  hailed  with  a  cheer. 

"  Wait  a  bit,"  interposed  Commandant  Lefevre,  "  our 
good  friend  has  forgotten  only  one  thing,  that  it  is  October. 
The  Mekhralif-el-Djerenb,  those  Sahara  pirates  who 
relieve  us  of  their  presence  during  the  summer,  have 
reappeared  with  their  cattle  and  camels." 

"  What  does  that  signify  ?  "  asked  La  Carriole. 

"  That  the  hot  season  is  drawing  to  an  end,  and  that 
ostriches  are  not  hunted  except  from  June  to  August" 

"  Do  you  take  me  for  a  tyro  ?  "  exclaimed  the  Com- 
mandant. "  Do  you  imagine  that  I  should  put  the  whole 
caravan  in  motion  to  look  for  a  mare's  nest  ?  No,  no  ;  I 
have  sent  out  my  scouts,  and  they  report  that  the  ostriches 
are  not  gone  down  south  as  yet,  but  that  we  shall  find 
plenty  of  game  on  the  ground." 

"  But  you  know  what  we  shall  require,  if  we  go  to  look 
for  it?" 

"  Certainly.  We  shall  want  beaters,  and  I  have  got 
them  ;  camels,  and  I  have  got  them.  Provisions  you  can 
supply." 

"  From  whom  have  you  asked —  ?  " 

"  From  the  Mekhralif-el-Djerenb,  of  course,"  answered 
La  Carriole  impatiently. 

"  Be  on  your  guard,  Commandant  ;  don't  trust  them. 
Those  fellows  are  a  bad  lot.  They  rob  and  kill  'freely. 
They  profess  to  us  that  they  have  forsaken  their  evil 
ways,  and  wish  to  make  amends.  Don't  you  trust  them." 


134  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"What  have  we  to  fear?  We  shall  be  a  dozen  of 
determined  men,  well  armed.  Those  dogs  will  never 
dare  to  bite  us.  Besides,  nothing  venture,  never  win. 
Why,  even  if  I  was  to  go  alone,  I  would  not  miss  such  a 
chance  of  seeing  sport  as  I  shall  never  have  again." 

There  was  no  opposing  the  fixed  determination  of  the 
Commandant;  and,  indeed,  M.  de  Malleville,  Henri,  and 
all  the  officers  of  the  detachment  made  no  great  difficulty 
about  yielding  to  it.  It  was  arranged  that  they  should 
start  on  the  following  morning.  La  Carriole  undertook 
to  give  the  orders  and  superintend  the  final  preparations. 
He  was  engaged  in  this  interesting  occupation  when  he 
was  accosted  by  Quies,  and  was  struck  with  amazement  by 
hearing  him  utter  the  following  words  : — 

"  You  will  choose  a  very  quiet  horse  for  me,  won't 
you?" 

The  Commandant  ran  his  eyes  over  his  old  friend  from 
head  to  foot  ;  not  only  to  make  sure  that  it  was  really  he 
who  spoke,  but  also  to  ascertain  whether  he  was  in  his  right 
mind.  The  doctor  looked  wretched,  his  mien  was  that  of 
utter  discomfiture,  he  hung  his  head,  and  one  of  his  eyes 
was  watering,  but  there  was  nothing  to  indicate  that  he 
had  lost  his  reason. 

"  A  horse  !  for  you,  Quies  ?  "  said  La  Carriole  at  length. 

"  A  horse — for  me — Quies — yes  ! " 

At  each  word  the  doctor  heaved  a  heartrending  sigh. 

"  You  come  with  us  ?  " 

"  Y— es !  " 

"Impossible!" 

"  Oh,  it  is  not  with  my  own  good  will,  I  assure  you." 

"  Explain  yourself,  my  good  friend  ;  I  do  not  understand 
you." 

"  You  don't  understand,"  sighed  Quies,  "  that  if  you 
were  gone  I  should  be  left — alone — brrou — in  this  abomin- 
able house — brrou  !  " 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  Tete-a-tete  with— Mdlle.  Haydee  !  " 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfeS.  135 

"  Oh,  nonsense  !     The  gentlest  beast  !  " 

"  Oh  yes,  I  like  that  notion  !  " 

"  And  an  animal  that  adores  you  !  " 

"  We  have  had  a  painful  misunderstanding,  my  dear 
friend.  A  little  scene — " 

"  The  deuce  you  have  !  " 

"  I  unfortunately  gave  her  a  kick  last  night — without 
intending  it ;  oh,  quite  accidentally.  Since  then,  whenever 
she  sees  me  she  wrinkles  up  her  ugly  muzzle  in  a  highly 
significant  way.  I  tell  you,  between  ourselves,  I  don't 
feel  at  all  comfortable." 

"  We  will  give  you  a  garrison  of  ten  men." 

"  Thanks.  A  bite  is  the  affair  of  a  second,  and  even  if 
the  beast  were  killed  afterwards,  much  good  that  would 
do  me.  I  would  rather  go  with  you." 

"  Reflect,  Quies.     Twelve  days  on  the  move !  " 

"  I  know." 

"  On  horseback  !  " 

"  I  know." 

"  Ten  nights  of  sleeping  on  the  ground  in  the  open 
air ! " 

"  I  know." 

"  And  camp  fare  !  " 

"  So  be  it.     Death  for  death,  I—" 

Quies'  voice  faltered,  he  said  no  more,  but  sank  down 
helplessly.  It  was  evident  this  grim  resolve  tore  his  heart 
as  ruthlessly  as  the  claws  of  Mdlle.  Haydee  could  have 
torn  his  body.  Perhaps,  with  a  little  patience,  he  might 
have  been  convinced  of  the  puerility  of  his  alarm,  but  La 
Carriole  did  not  try  to  convince  him.  He  was,  on  the  con- 
trary, mischievously  amused  at  the  notion  of  the  figure 
that  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  would  cut  on  horseback,  he  who  had 
never  in  his  life  mounted  any  animal  except  the  mule  that 
had  brought  him,  in  fifteen  falls,  to  within  five  leagues  of 
Boghar. 

"  Never  mind,"  thought  the  Commandant,  "  in  two  days 
he  will  get  used  to  it." 


136  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  It  is  quite  clear,  my  good  friend,"  said  he,  "  that  you 
have  missed  your  vocation.  God  created  you  to  be  a 
great  traveller  and  a  scientific  explorer.  Take  notes, 
Quies,  take  notes.  When  you  come  back,  you  will  regret 
it  if  you  have  not  taken  any." 

"  I  shall  never  come  back  !  "  sighed  the  unhappy  doctor. 

"  That  is  always  your  song." 

Quies  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven. 

"  A  very  quiet  horse,"  he  repeated,  and  then  he  dis- 
appeared, for  Mdlle.  Haydee  came  stalking  into  the  stable 
where  the  interview  just  recorded  had  taken  place. 

Those  among  us — and  they  form  the  majority — who 
have  never  hunted  bigger  game  than  hares  and  partridges, 
cannot  imagine  an  ostrich  hunt  in  the  Sahara,  across  the 
endless  steppes  which  the  Arabs  call,  in  their  expressive 
language,  the  "  Land  of  Thirst,"  and  throughout  whose 
entire  extent  there  is  not  a  stream  of  running  water  or  a 
spring.  The  only  moisture  it  ever  has  comes  from  the 
rains  that  fall  during  the  storms,  and  form  little  pools,  to 
which  the  wandering  tribes  resort  in  haste  for  their  supply 
of  water,  as  the  sun  dries  them  up  quickly.  It  is,  there- 
fore, no  light  matter  to  undertake  a  twelve  days'  sojourn 
in  such  a  desert,  and  La  Carriole  must  have  taken  infinite 
trouble  to  organize  such  an  enterprise  successfully. 

The  caravan,  which  was  placed  under  his  command, 
comprised  no  less  than  fifty  camels,  twenty-five  horses,  ten 
mules — camels  and  mules  carrying  eight  barrels  of  water, 
ten  sacks  of  barley,  victuals  for  fifteen  days,  salt,  and  all 
the  necessary  camp  gear.  It  happens,  sometimes,  that  the 
ostriches  reported  by  the  scouts  to  be  at  a  short  dis- 
tance, have  gone  off  during  the  night  ten  or  even  fifteen 
leagues  farther  to  the  south.  The  hunting  party  then 
encamp  in  a  dam,  and  resume  their  progress  on  the  follow- 
ing day  until  the  bedou  or  the  gaad  becomes  feasible. 

By  these  two  names  the  principal  methods  of  hunting 
the  ostrich  are  known.  In  the  bedou  the  hunter  pursues 
the  bird  alone  and  with  the  same  horse.  The  chase  is  a 


DR.   J.    B.    QUlfcS.  137 

mad  gallop,  and  by  no  means  without  danger.  The  gaad 
is  the  pursuit  of  the  game  by  several  hunters,  in  relays,  and 
the  birds  are  driven  into  the  ambuscade  prepared  for  them 
by  beaters. 

La  Carriole  and  his  party  had  decided  upon  adopting 
the  gaad.  At  the  last  moment,  that  is  to  say  during  the 
night  which  preceded  the  start,  Quies  experienced  some 
hesitation.  Being  feverishly  wakeful,  he  sat  up  in  his 
camp  bed  every  few  minutes. 

"  Stay,"  he  thought,  "  let  me  consider.  Am  I  wise  to 
encounter  such  terrible  exertion  in  order  to  fly  from  a 
danger  which  I  may  possibly  exaggerate  ?  No,  certainly 
not  !  If  this  horrible  brute  was  capable  of  such  a  deed, 
these  men,  who  do  not  wish  me  any  ill,  would  not  leave 
her  at  large.  And,  besides,  she  has  never  shown  any  spite 
against  me." 

Chance — still  chance  ! — would  have  it  that  at  the  very 
same  moment  Mdlle.  Haydde,  tormented  doubtless  by 
some  insect,  made  a  prodigious  bound  and  uttered  a  for- 
midable roar  in  the  next  room.  Quies'  jaw  fell,  his  hair 
rose  on  his  head,  and  cold  perspiration  suffused  his  skin. 
He  cut  short  his  fine  argument  with  the  muttered  words, — 

"  I  think  it  is  prudent  not  to  stay  here." 

He  then  rose,  lighted  his  candle,  placed  it  on  the  little 
deal  table  which,  with  his  camp  bed  and  a  chair,  formed 
the  entire  furniture  of  his  room,  and  occupied  himself  for  a 
full  half-hour  in  covering  a  sheet  of  paper  with  his  close, 
small,  and  precise  handwriting. 

This  task  accomplished,  he  blew  out  his  candle,  and 
raised  his  eyes  to  heaven.  The  sun,  still  invisible,  was 
casting  some  pale  yellow  gleams  upon  the  horizon,  and 
the  da'ias  of  the  plain  were  emerging  from  their  bed  of 
deep  shadow  like  so  many  luminous  specks.  The  stars 
were  disappearing  one  by  one,  and  seemed  to  be  soaring 
into  the  eternal  heights.  All  around  was  rest  and  sleep. 
No  human  sound  broke  the  mournful  and  imposing  silence 
of  the  desert. 


138 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


Quies  was  overpowered  by  an  unspeakable  emotion. 
Never  since  he  left  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  had  the 
terrible  fatality  which  held  him  fast  more  heavily  oppressed 
him.  Although  he  had  borne  severer  trials,  he  had 
never  scanned  the  future  with  a  more  anxious  eye,  or 
turned  upon  the  past  a  more  mournful  glance.  Never  had 
his  former  peaceful  existence  been  recalled  so  plainly  to 
his  wistful  fancy,  with  all  its  blessings,  its  calm  and  simple 


J.  B.  Quies  writing  his  last  will. 

pleasures,  its  firm  friendships,  and  its  nights  without  night- 
mare !  Slow  tears  oozed  from  his  eyes,  and  fell  heavily 
on  the  paper  which  he  had  left  on  the  table  in  front  of 
him. 

Perhaps  that  tear  was  a  mea  culpa.  In  the  hour  of 
sorrow  we  are  impartial  judges  of  ourselves.  For  the 
first  time  Quies  was  awakened  to  a  sense  of  his  egoism, 
too  long  indulged,  and  of  the  innumerable  failings  of 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  139 


which  he  had  been  guilty.  He  said  to  himself  that  the 
evil  which  had  now  befallen  him  was  but  the  chastisement 
cf  his  faults.  He  was  enduring  his  purgatory  in  this 
world.  He  did  not,  however,  go  so  far  as  to  believe  that 
paradise  was  closed  against  him  for  ever. 

The  morning  call  sounded  by  the  camp  trumpeters  in- 
terrupted his  reverie  and  arrested  his  tears.  He  cast  one 
look  at  Mdlle.  Haydee,  who  was  stretching  herself  out  and 
showing  her  white  teeth  at  the  door,  sighed  deeply  and 
went  in  search  of  Commandant  La  Carriole,  whom  he 
accosted  with  an  air  of  great  solemnity. 

"  My  good,  dear,  excellent  friend,"  said  he,  handing  him 
the  sheet  of  paper  on  which  he  had  been  writing  shortly 
before,  folded,  but  not  sealed,  "  take  great  care  of  this 
paper.  Put  it  in  your  pocket.  It  contains  my  last 
wishes." 

"  Why,  Quies  !  "  exclaimed  the  Commandant,  "  you 
must  be  mad  !  " 

"  I  am  going  to  my  death.  There  are  presentiments 
that  do  not  deceive  us." 

"  Nonsense,  man  !  " 

"  I  am  going  to  my  death,  I  tell  you.  You  will  be  my 
testamentary  executor.  My  cousin  Ragot  is  my  sole 
heiress,  I  confirm  her  rights,  charging  her  only  to  pay 
in  my  name — it  is  not  much — some  debts  of  gratitude 
which  I  enumerate.  You  will  see  to  this,  my  dear  friend. 
I  also  charge  you  to  express  to  all  those  who  love,  or 
have  loved  me,  my  deep  regret  for  having  so  ill  under- 
stood the  duties  of  friendship." 

"  Really,  Quies,  one  would  think  you  were  speaking 
seriously." 

"  I  am  speaking  very  seriously." 

"  Reflect  then  that  a  ten  or  twelve  days'  trip  into  the 
plain  is  no  great  affair.  We  are  so  well  provided  that 
you  will  be  as  well  off  at  the  camp  as  in  your  own  room. 
No  one  dies  of  a  little  fatigue,  and  that  is  the  only  risk 
you  run." 


140  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  God  grant  it  !     You   have   chosen  a  very   quiet  horse 
for  me  ? " 

"  A  girl  might  ride  it.     See,  here  it  comes." 
A  Spahi  had  just  come   up,   leading  two  small   Arab 
horses,   bony,  nervous    animals,   thinned  by  the  training 
they  had  gone   through.     Quies  thought  that  the   horse 


The  departure  of  the  caravan. 

which  he  took  for  the  quieter  of  the  two  was  far  from 
being  quiet  enough  for  him,  but  he  was  resigned  to  his 
fate.  Aided  by  a  push  on  one  side  and  a  pull  on  the 
other,  he  succeeded  in  getting  into  the  saddle,  and,  hold- 
ing on  desperately  by  his  horse's  mane,  he  followed  the 
Commandant,  and  rejoined  the  caravan  beneath  the 
mamelon  of  Awhata. 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfcS.  141 

The  strangeness  of  the  spectacle  which  awaited  him  there 
diverted  him  for  awhile  from  the  sufferings  of  his  novel 
situation.  It  would  indeed  have  been  difficult,  not  to  say 
impossible,  for  him  to  remain  absorbed  in  his  thoughts  in 
the  midst  of  the  indescribable  tumult  caused  by  the  shouts 
of  the  Arabs  and  the  neighing  and  trampling  of  the 
horses.  On  one  hand  he  beheld  an  Arab  remonstrating 
with  his  kneeling  camel  on  its  obstinate  refusal  to  rise  ; 
on  the  other  a  second  Arab,  already  mounted  and 
endeavouring  to  restrain  the  ardour  of  his  animal.  Here 
was  a  staved-in  barrel  of  water,  there  a  burst  sack  of 
barley.  Farther  on,  a  mule  had  broken  its  saddle-bands, 
and  kicked  off  its  load.  Horses  were  galloping  and 
plunging,  their  riders  were  seeking  and  calling  for  each 
other.  It  took  La  Carriole  a  full  hour  to  reduce  his  unruly 
forces  to  something  like  order. 

It  was  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  the  caravan 
started,  and  at  the  same  hour  in  the  evening  it  encamped 
in  a  daia,  eight  leagues  from  Awhata.  The  tents  were 
struck,  the  horses  were  tethered,  supper  was  eaten,  with 
coffee  and  cigars  to  follow,  and  then  a  council  was  held, 
in  the  regular  course,  upon  the  measures  to  be  taken  for 
the  morrow.  The  French  officers  and  sportsmen,  being 
quite  new  to  this  kind  of  thing,  merely  put  in  an  appear- 
ance on  the  solemn  occasion.  The  ordering  of  the  hunt 
was  properly  left  to  the  Arabs,  who  sat  phlegmatically  in 
a  circle  and  spoke  one  after  the  other.  They  had  all  come 
to  an  agreement  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  then  their 
arrangements  were  promptly  made. 

Four  scouts,  mounted  on  swift  camels,  were  sent  on  in 
advance  to  track  the  ostriches.  These  scouts  were  not  to 
drive  the  birds  until  the  relays  of  hunters  should  have 
taken  up  their  position  ;  this  they  were  to  do  at  noon 
precisely. 

No  sooner  had  the  scouts  disappeared  in  the  semi-dark- 
ness of  the  desert,  than  each  man  lay  down  in  the  best 
place  he  could  find,  and  fell  asleep. 


142 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


During  the  day  Quies  had  only  twice  fallen  off  his 
horse,  but  the  continuous  exertion  by  which  he  had  ob- 
tained this  result  had  completely  exhausted  him,  and  if 
all  the  cannon  in  the  three  provinces  had  been  fired 
close  to  his  ear,  he  would  not  have  started  in  his  sleep. 
It  was  a  difficult  job  to  rouse  him  and  hoist  him  up  on 
his  horse  the  next  morning,  and  it  is  unnecessary 
to  observe  that  his  only  anxiety  was  to  have  as  little 
riding  to  do  as  possible.  With  this  end,  he  kept  close  to 
the  baggage,  with  the  five  or  six  Arabs  who  had  charge 
of  it,  and  who  followed  at  an  easy  pace.  Quies  cared 
about  as  much  for  the  ostriches  as  a  fish  cares  for  an 


The  encampment. 

apple.  La  Carriole  and  Henri,  on  the  contrary,  placed 
themselves  at  the  head  of  the  hunt  at  once,  and  were  riding 
madly  after  a  male  ostrich  ;  such  a  splendid  bird  that  the 
Arab  who  had  started  the  game  actually  thrilled  with 
greed  and  ardour  on  beholding  it,  and  joined  the  two 
Frenchmen  in  their  pursuit.  It  is  the  custom  to  give  the 
Arab  scouts  one  half  of  the  number  of  ostriches  killed  or 
captured,  and  they  make  largely  by  this  perquisite. 

The  ostrich,  like  the  pig,  is  valuable  all  over,  from  its 
head  to  its  feet,  inclusively.  Its  flesh  is  eaten,  its  feathers 
and  its  skin  are  sold  ;  therefore  the  Arabs  pursue  it  with 
a  wild  passionateness,  bordering  on  frenzy. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


143 


We  shall  not  attempt  to  follow  our  hunters  in  their 
headlong  career,  or  to  depict  their  emotions,  their  dis- 
appointments, or  their  general  sentiments.  We  shall  merely 
return  with  them  in  the  evening  to  the  place  that  had 
been  fixed  upon  for  their  camping-ground. 

There  we  find  them  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  heat, 
hardly  able  to  sit  upright,  and  yet  not  so  much  exhausted 
by  physical  toil  as  cast  down  by  the  melancholy  result  of 
the  day's  work.    Of  the  twelve  or  fourteen  ostriches  reported 
by  the  scouts  on  the  previous  day,  they  had  been  able  to 


La  Carriole  and  Henri  placed  themselves  at  the  head  of  the  hunt. 

follow  only  two,  and  they  had  captured  only  one.  The 
others  had  disappeared,  why  or  how  none  could  tell. 
They  had  drawn  nothing  but  blanks. 

"  Ugh  ! "  said  La  Carriole,  as  he  dismounted,  "  what  a 
day  ! " 

"  We  shall  have  our  revenge,"  answered  Henri. 

"  I  hope  so." 

"  At  all  events  we  are  in  for  a  good  week  more  than  I 
counted  upon." 

"  Yes — and  won't  Quies  be  in  a  way  about  it !     By-the- 


144 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


bye,  where  is  he  ?  I  have  not  seen  him  since  we  arrived 
here." 

The  Commandant  and  Henri  called  the  doctor.  There 
was  no  answer.  They  then  searched  for  him  in  vain. 
Lastly,  they  questioned  the  Arabs  left  in  charge  of  the 
baggage,  and  learned  from  them  that  they  had  seen  "  the 
fat  gentleman  "  set  out  at  a  gallop  to  rejoin  the  hunt  at 
noon. 

"  Well,"  said  La  Carriole,  "  he's  not  lost.  Let  us  eat 
and  sleep." 

Everybody  was  satisfied  that  there  was  no  cause  for 
uneasiness  ;  that  Quies,  guided  by  the  instinct  of  his  horse, 
would  speedily  turn  up  at  the  camp.  Everybody  got 
through  the  evening  meal  as  soon  as  possible,  and  lay 
down  thankfully,  to  sleep  soundly. 

Morning  came,  but  Quies  had  not  "  turned  up." 


DR.   J.   B.    QUIES.  145 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

TREATS   OF    THE     PROBABLE     DEATH    OF     DOCTOR     J.    B. 
QUIES,   AND   THAT   WHICH   ENSUED    UPON   IT. 

DOUBT  was  no  longer  possible.  An  accident  had  befallen 
him.  But  what  was  its  nature,  and  what  had  been  its 
results  ?  Was  he  dead  ?  was  he  only  hurt  ?  or  had  he 
merely  lost  his  way  ? 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  Commandant,  "  I  incline  towards 
the  latter  hypothesis.  Our  Arabs  declare  that  they  saw  him 
start  at  a  gallop.  Now  we  all  know  that  such  a  pace  is 
by  no  means  habitual  to  our  dear  doctor,  and  I  positively 
refuse  to  believe  that  he  adopted  it  of  his  own  free  will  and 
intention.  He  was  simply  run  away  with  by  his  horse, 
and  that  sagacious  animal  will  have  stopped  when  such 
was  its  pleasure." 

"  Supposing  that  the  rider  fell  off  before  it  stopped  ? " 
suggested  M.  de  Malleville. 

"  The  horse  would  have  come  back  without  him." 

"  That  is  true." 

"  Then  he  did  not  fall,  but,  being  doubtless  very  tired, 
and  overtaken  by  the  darkness,  he  will  have  sought  shelter 
in  some  data  or  other,  and  be  now  on  his  way  to  join 
us." 

"  Does  he  know  where  we  are  ?  "  asked  Henri. 

"  Where  we  are  !  My  good  youth,"  remonstrated  the 
Commandant,  "  do  you  suppose  Dr.  Quies,  who  isn't  a 
doctor  for  nothing,  does  not  know  the  north  from  the 
south  ?  " 

"  God  send,  my  dear  Commandant,  that  your  forecast 
10 


146  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

may  prove  correct ;  but,  in  the  meantime,  do  you  not  think 
we  had  better  go  and  look  for  him  ?  " 

"  By  all  means." 

In  reality,  La  Carriole  was  not  at  all  so  easy  in  his  mind 
as  he  pretended  to  be.  He  would  not,  however,  admit  the 
possibility  of  a  misfortune  for  which  he  felt  himself  partly 
responsible,  except  in  the  last  extremity.  Had  he  not  left 
poor  Quies  a  prey  to  the  childish  fear  which  had  impelled 
him  to  accompany  the  hunting  party  in  spite  of  his  natural 
repugnance  ? 

"  Ah,"  cried  he,  as  he  put  his  foot  in  the  stirrup,  "  were 
he  in  the  very  middle  of  the  desert  we  must  find  him." 

The  detachment,  divided  into  five  groups  of  four  horse- 
men each,  set  off  in  five  different  directions,  so  as  to  form 
a  wide  fan-shaped  cordon  round  the  camp.  They  were  all 
to  unite  at  the  upper  end  of  it  in  case  of  failure.  At  two 
o'clock  the  twenty  horsemen  were  all  assembled  ;  no  trace  of 
either  Dr.  Quies  or  his  horse  had  been  found.  They  took 
one  hour  of  indispensable  repose,  and  then  resumed  their 
search,  going  towards  the  south.  They  rode  on  until 
evening,  scouring  the  vast  plain  in  every  direction. 

Nothing  !  still  nothing  ! 

La  Carriole  swore  like  a  demon,  and  tore  his  hair. 
Henri,  who  was  seriously  alarmed,  galloped  about  on  all 
sides,  with  far  greater  ardour  than  he  had  displayed  in 
hunting  the  ostriches. 

Night  fell,  and  the  search  had  to  be  suspended. 

The  horsemen  encamped,  to  resume  their  efforts  on  the 
following  day;  but  every  man  among  them  had  an 
increasing  conviction  that  those  efforts  would  prove  vain. 
They  persisted  in  the  search  for  three  days,  and  then  it 
was  abandoned,  and  they  decided  upon  returning  to  their 
fixed  camp.  Quies  was  but  too  surely  lost.  And  yet,  as 
there  was  nothing  explained  or  proved  with  respect  to 
his  strange  disappearance,  his  friends  retained  a  remnant 
of  hope,  and  they  searched  every  shrub,  every  tuft  of 
grass,  every  data,  on  their  return,  going  over  again  the 


DR.  J,   B.   QUlfcS.  147 

ground  they  had    already    examined    twenty  times,    like 
dogs  on  the  scent  of  game. 

La  Carriole,  who  had  come  back  equally  enraged  and 
grieved,  was  about  to  dismount,  when  he  was  loudly 
hailed.  M.  de  Malleville,  Henri,  and  their  companions 
had  just  met,  close  to  a  mamelon  covered  with  prickly 
plants  and  bushes,  and  they  were  bending  over  something. 
La  Carriole  spurred  his  horse,  and  joined  the  group  in  a 
few  moments.  With  real  anguish  he  recognized  that  the 
object  attracting  their  attention  was  the  horse  that  had 


The  searchers  had  found  a  note-book. 

carried  his  good  friend  the  doctor,  lying  dead  upon  the 
ground,  and  already  half-eaten  by  vultures. 

The  searchers  had  found  a  note-book  and  an  open 
knife  close  by.  Quies  had  evidently  fallen  there,  and  those 
things  had  dropped  out  of  his  pocket  or  his  hand.  But 
what  had  become  of  him  ? 

"  He  must  have  hurt  himself  in  falling,"  said  Henri. 

"  No  doubt.  And  if  the  injury  was  serious  he  could 
not  have  gone  very  far,  and  we  shall  find  him  in  the  nearest 
dciia,  if  he  has  been  able  to  drag  himself  that  distance." 


148  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  And  if  he  has  not  ?  " 

"  If  he  has  not,  the  body  must  be  here,  near  the  horse." 

They  searched  a  space  of  five  hundred  square  yards 
with  such  minute  care  that  not  an  inch  escaped  in- 
spection, but  they  found  no  trace  of  the  doctor. 

Then  said  La  Carriole,  catching  at  the  last  straw,  "  It  is 
four  days  since  we  left  the  camp  !  No  doubt  he  has 
reached  it  during  our  absence.  He  will  have  been  bruised 
by  his  fall,  and  walking  slowly,  morning  and  evening,  to 
avoid  the  sun.  Yes,  he  is  at  the  camp  !  I  am  sure  he  is 
at  the  camp  !  " 

"  I  hope  so,"  said  M.  de  Malleville.  "  At  any  rate  it 
is  only  two  leagues.  Come  on,  Henri,  we  shall  soon 
know." 

An  hour  later  M.  de  Malleville  and  his  son  returned. 
Quies  had  not  reappeared  at  the  camp.  They  were  all 
amazed.  If  he  were  living  they  ought  to  find  him  ;  if  he 
were  dead  a  fortiori  ! 

"  Ha  !  "  exclaimed  Henri,  "the  vultures  !  " 

"  The  vultures  ! "  repeated  the  Commandant,  as  he 
clenched  his  fists,  "  they  leave  the  bones  at  least  !  But 
nothing,  nothing  !  That  accursed  ostrich  hunt !  It  is  all 
my  fault." 

For  five  long  days,  without  giving  in,  they  searched 
around  the  dead  horse,  enlarging  the  circle  day  by  day. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  they  were  forced  to  yield  to  the 
conviction  that  all  hope  was  lost.  Quies  had  vanished, 
like  a  mysterious  apparition,  leaving  no  other  trace  of  his 
presence  upon  the  earth  except  the  note-book  and  the 
knife  which  they  had  found  close  to  the  horse. 

"  Had  he  any  money  ? "  asked  Commandant  Lefevre 
of  Commandant  La  Carriole,  in  a  low  voice. 

"  I  lent  him  some  lately.     Why  ?  " 

"  That  explains  all.  These  Mekhralif-el-Djerenb  are  all 
robbers,  as  you  know  as  well  as  I." 

"  They  have  murdered  him  ? " 

"  Very  probably.     They  could  dispose  of  the  body." 


DR.   J.   B.   QUl£S.  149 


"  Yes,  yes  ;  it  is  so.  I  see  it  all.  They  shall  be  made 
to  pay  dearly  for  it." 

"Alas,  my  good  friend,  it  is  very  difficult,  even  in  our 
dear  France,  with  all  its  civilization,  to  lay  hands  upon  a 
criminal ;  here,  on  these  plains  of  the  Sahara,  all  the  police 
in  the  world  could  not  do  it." 

"  No  matter !  I  will  fire  into  the  lot  of  them,  and  kill 
four  or  five  of  them  at  any  rate." 

"And  to-morrow  we  shall  be  attacked  by  a  dozen  tribes 
in  revolt." 

"  So,  then,  the  murder  of  my  dear  Quies  must  remain 
unpunished  ?  " 

Commandant  Lefevre  lifted  up  his  hands  and  let  them  fall 
again  dejectedly.  La  Carriole  perceived  that  neither  repres- 
sion nor  vengeance  was  to  be  hoped  for.  In  his  anger  he 
clenched  his  teeth  and  broke  his  pipe  ;  then  he  mounted 
his  horse  and  galloped  off.  The  party  returned  to  A  \\hata 
on  the  following  day,  and  on  the  next  La  Carriole,  Henri, 
and  M.  de  Malleville  took  leave  of  their  hospitable  enter- 
tainers, and  sorrowfully  set  out  for  Algiers. 

When  that  untiring  marauder,  death,  enters  into  a 
dwelling,  and  strikes  down  a  beloved  one,  it  seems  to  those 
who  loved  the  departed  that  they  cannot  survive  that 
terrible  grief.  They  are  cold  and  indifferent  to  every- 
thing. They  move  about  the  house  like  shadows,  seeking 
the  one  who  is  no  longer  there,  and  vho  can  never  return. 
They  weep,  and  they  will  not  believe  that  a  time  can  ever 
come  when  they  will  no  longer  have  tears  in  their  eyes,  or, 
perhaps,  in  their  hearts.  Yet  so  it  is,  and  so  it  must  be. 
The  inexorable  daily  demands  of  life  absorb  us  whether 
we  will  or  no,  and  we  are  driven  by  the  egoism  that 
exists  even  in  the  best  among  us,  to  indifference  or 
oblivion. 

The  more  than  probable  death  of  poor  Dr.  Quies  had 
painfully  affected  M.  de  Malleville  and  Henri,  and  still 
more  deeply  Commandant  La  Carriole  ;  and  yet,  at  the 
end  of  a  month,  the  impression  was  almost,  if  not  totally, 


150  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

effaced.     Each  of  them  had  to  attend  to  his  own  affairs. 
The  dead  are  dead,  the  living  are  obliged  to  live. 

M.  de  Malleville,  whose,  interests  detained  him  in 
Algeria,  and  whose  position  was  rapidly  improving,  esta- 
blished himself  at  Algiers,  where  his  wife  was  to  join  him. 
La  Carriole,  who  was  returning  to  France,  undertook  to 
arrange  that  matter  at  Saint- Pignon  les  Girouettes,  where 
he  also  had  to  make  known  the  melancholy  end  ol  Dr. 
J.  B.  Quies. 

It  is  our  duty  to  forestall  the  arrival  of  the  Com- 
mandant, and  to  cast  a  retrospective  glance  upon  some  of 
the  persons  whom  we  have  left  at  Saint  Pignon. 

On  the  close  of  a  solemn  meeting  of  the  Geographical, 
Numismatical,  and  Archaeological  Society,  at  which  M.  de 
Prechafoin  had  propounded  his  belief  that  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies 
had  voluntarily  absented  himself  in  order  to  endow  his 
country  with  some  wonderful  discovery,  the  entire  town 
had  assented  to  the  view  of  the  honourable  president. 
With  the  exception  of  Anthime,  who  was  better  informed, 
and  Mme.  Ragot,  whose  instinct  led  her  to  doubt,  every- 
body had  accepted  this  improbable  hypothesis,  which 
became  a  certainty  from  the  day  on  which  Alaitre  Grimblot, 
the  notary,  received  a  letter  addressed  to  him  in  duplicate 
by  Quies,  who  apprised  him  of  his  intention  to  remain  in 
Africa  for  a  long  time,  and  instructed  him  to  transmit 
funds  through  the  agency  of  Von  Saaken  and  Co. 

Quies  in  Algiers !     The  fact  was  beyond  dispute. 

The  fdint  remorse  which  Anthime  had  felt  vanished  at 
once,  and  his  jealousy  was  increased  in  proportion  to  the 
unforeseen  results  of  his  malicious  deed  As  for  Mme. 
Ragot,  she  shed  three  tears  of  joy  in  public,  and  went 
home  to  tear  her  pocket-handkerchief  with  her  teeth  in 
her  despair.  Her  six  daughters  would  inevitably  be  old 
maids. 

The  logical  conclucion  would  be  that  M.  Bonamy  would 
rub  his  hands  on  hearing  of  the  death  of  the  doctor,  and 
that  Mme.  Ragot  would  jump  with  joy.  But  it  was  not 


DR.   J.    B.    QUlfcS.  151 

so.  Anthime  straightway  forgot  all  his  grievances,  and 
heartily  forgave  the  unhappy  man  whose  destruction  he 
had  caused  ;  while,  as  for  Mme.  Ragot,  she  wept  the  sin- 
cerest  tears,  and  if  the  loss  of  one  of  her  little  fingers  could 


The  funeral  oration. 


have  restored  Ouies  to  life,  she  would  have  laid  her  hand 
on  the  block. 

To  the  inhabitants   of  Saint-Pignon  in  general,  and  the 
members  of  the  learned  society  in  particular,  the  news  was 


152  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

a  thunderbolt.     J.  B.  Quies  at  once  assumed  the  propor- 
tions of  a  hero  and  a  demigod. 

M.  de  Prechafoin  summoned  a  meeting,  at  which,  in 
a  voice  trembling  with  emotion,  he  delivered  a  funeral 
oration,  beginning  with,  "  Standing  by  the  side  of  this 
hardly-closed  grave,"  and  ending  with,  "  Adieu,  Quies, 
adieu  !  "  All  funeral  orations,  those  of  Bossuet  excepted, 
begin  and  end  thus. 

A  statue  to  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  was  voted  by  acclamation. 
Anthime  held  up  both  hands,  and  subscribed  one  hundred 
francs.  Mme.  Ragot  put  down  only  fifty,  but  then  she 
was  not  a  member  of  the  learned  body  of  Saint-Pignon. 
The  worthy  woman  believed,  no  doubt,  that  she  had  fully 
discharged  her  debt  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Quies  by  this 
slight  sacrifice  ;  for  no  sooner  had  she  written  her  name 
on  the  subscription  list  than  she  went  off  to  see  the 
notary  about  her  interest  in  the  doctor's  property.  She 
decked  her  face  in  her  most  gracious  smiles,  saluted  Maitre 
Grimblot  with  all  courtesy,  and  explained  the  object  of 
her  visit. 

"  Pardon  me,  dear  madam,"  said  the  grave  official,  inter- 
rupting her,  "  Dr.  Quies  is  not  dead." 

"  How  !  Not  dead  ?  When  they  are  putting  up  a 
statue  to  him  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  proves  nothing." 

"  Not  dead !  when  Commandant  Carriole  affirms  that 
the  search  for  him  was  vain  ?  " 

"  Precisely,  dear  madam.  Dr.  Quies  has  disappeared. 
In  the  eyes  of  the  law  he  is  not  dead  ;  he  is  only 
absent." 

"  But  his  property,  then  ? " 

"  His  property  is  about  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  an 
administrator." 

"  Until—?" 

"  Until  its  deposit  in  the  provisional  possession  of  his 
heirs  or  those  having  rights." 

"  When—  ?  " 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfeS. 


153 


"  After  the  lapse  of  four  years  from  the  period  of  the 
declaration  of  absence." 

"  So  that  I  shall  not  inherit  for  four  years  to  come  ?  " 

"  You  will  not  inherit  at  all,  dear  madam.  You  will 
have  the  enjoyment  of  the  usufruct,  with  the  obligation,  in 
case  of  the  doctor's  return,  to  capitalize  it  and  return  it  to 
its  lawful' owner  ;  but  you  will  not  have  power  to  dispose 
of  anything  except  the  income  until  final  possession  is 
awarded." 

"  And  that  will  take  place —  ? " 


"  The  usufruct  !     What  should  I  do  with  your  usufruct?" 

"  In  thirty  years." 

"In  thirty  years  !  But  Quies  had  not  thirty  years  to 
live  !  He  was  apoplectic." 

"  Such  is  the  law,  dear  madam." 

"  So  that  I  am  ruined,  simply  ruined  !  " 

"  The  usufruct,  the  usufruct,  dear  madam." 

"  The  usufruct !  What  should  I  do  with  your  usu- 
fruct ? " 

With  this  ironical  question,  Mme.  Ragot  bounced  out  of 
the  notary's  office,  and  banged  the  door.  Her  face  was 


154  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

crimson,  and  she  gesticulated  wildly.  How  glad  she 
would  have  been  if  she  could  only  have  got  back  the  fifty 
francs  which  she  had  thrown  away  on  the  statue  of  the 
defunct  doctor,  who  had  died  in  so  inconsiderate  and 
inconvenient  a  fashion.  All  that  evening  she  kept  the 
house  in  a  turmoil,  her  dinner  was  detestable,  her  daughters 
were  intolerable,  and  her  cook  was  impertinent. 

To  be  four  whole  years  without  handling  a  centime> 
and  then  to  be  able  to  touch  the  income  only !  What  an 
abominably  selfish  creature  was  Quies,  thus  to  act  towards 
an  unfortunate  kinswoman,  afflicted  with  six  marriageable 
daughters  !  Where  were  their  "  dots "  to  come  from 
under  such  circumstances  ?  All  of  a  sudden  a  bright  idea 
occurred  to  Mme.  Ragot,  and  her  thin  lips  expanded  side- 
ways in  a  smile  which  said  plainly, — 

"  I  am  saved  !     Why  did  I  not  think  of  that  sooner  ?  " 

Thereupon  Mme.  Ragot,  having  replaced  upon  her 
shoulders  the  shawl  she  had  worn  for  twenty  years,  and 
put  on  the  only  bonnet  she  had  ever  possessed,  set  out 
to  call  upon  M.  Bonamy. 

It  is  a  fact  to  be  observed  that  the  success  of  a  request 
depends,  nine  times  in  ten,  upon  the  state  of  mind  of  the 
person  to  whom  it  is  addressed.  At  noon  the  petitioner 
would  have  succeeded,  at  half-past  twelve  he  fails.  Mme. 
Ragot  had  the  good  fortune  to  reach  Anthime's  house  at 
the  precise  moment  when,  having  been  engaged  in  a  semi- 
quarrelsome  discussion  with  Mme.  Bonamy,  his  spouse, 
he  was  in  urgent  need  of  a  pretext  for  getting  away  and 
leaving  her  the  last  word. 

"  Our  dear  cousin  ! "  cried  he. 

At  Saint-Pignon  everybody  is  everybody  else's  cousin. 

"  I  must  speak  to  you,"  said  Mme.  Ragot  in  a  mys- 
terious tone.  "  You  will  excuse  me/' 

"  Oh,  of  course,"  replied  Mme.  Bonamy  sullenly. 

Anthime  left  his  wife  to  grumble,  ushered  Mme.  Ragot 
into  his  study,  placed  a  chair  for  her,  took  both  her  hands 
in  his,  and  said, — 


DR.   J.    B.    QUlfeS.  155 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  make  out  Quies'  fortune  to  be  ?  " 

"  Six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  francs  at  the  lowest 
figure." 

"  Bringing  in  annually  ?  " 

"  Thirty  thousand  francs." 

"  What  would  you  say  if  you  were  offered  that  yearly 
sum  for  three  hundred  thousand  francs  ? " 

"  I  should  say  it  was  a  good  bargain." 

"  Very  well  then,  done  !  " 

"  I  don't  understand  you." 

"And  yet  it's  clear  enough.  Quies  has  disappeared. 
His  death  is  an  ascertained  fact.  Although  the  law  refuses 
to  declare  his  decease,  it  is  none  the  less  certain  that  my 
dear  cousin  will  never  reappear." 

"  That  is  more  than  probable." 

"  Now,  I  am  his  sole  heiress." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  ?  " 

"  The  will  has  been  brought  from  that  place  beyond 
seas  and  handed  over  to  Maitre  Grimblot." 

"  Really ! " 

"  But,  as  Quies  is  only  absent,  I  shall  not  be  put  into 
provisional  possession  for  four  years,  and  thirty  must  elapse 
before  I  get  final  possession.  Now,  my  dear  M.  Anthime, 
I  have  not,  or  rather  my  friends  have  not,  time  to 
wait." 

"  And  you  propose  to  me  to  discount  Quies  ? " 

"  Exactly/' 

"  The  devil  of  it  is,"  said  Anthime,  scratching  his  head, 
"  that  three  hundred  thousand  francs  is  a  large  sum  to 
disburse." 

"  But  one  for  which  I  yield  up  to  you  all  my  rights. 
For  three  hundred  thousand  francs  you  have  thirty  thou- 
sand francs  a  year." 

"  Inalienable  ? " 

"  For  thirty  years  only." 

"  And  if  Quies  should  come  back  ?  " 


1 56 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   O"F 


"  Oh,"  said  Mme.  Ragot,  with  a  smile,  "  on  that  point 
you  know  well  that  we  have  nothing  to  fear." 

She  intended  to  say  "  to  hope,"  but  she  had  let  the  true 
word  slip,  and  she  thought  it  unnecessary  to  withdraw  it. 
So  she  left  M.  Bonamy,  repeating  as  she  took  leave  of 
him, — 


"  That  three  hundred  thousand  francs  is  a  large  sum  to  disburse.'' 

"  We  shall  each  of  us  make  a  good  bargain." 
No  doubt  it  would  not  prove  a  bad  one  for  either ;  it  might 
indeed  be  considered  excellent  for  both.  Nevertheless, 
Anthime  would  not  have  concluded  it  had  he  not  held 
himself  morally  pledged  to  do  so.  If  he,  Anthime,  had 
not  conceived  the  infernal  idea  of  sending  Quies  off,  full 


DR.   J.   B.   QUltS.  157 

steam,  towards  the  south,  Quies  would  never  in  his  whole 
life  have  gone  to  Africa,  Quies  would  never  in  his  whole 
life  have  gone  ostrich-hunting,  and  Quies  would  not  be 
dead.  The  least  he  could  do  was  to  come  to  the  aid  of 
the  doctor's  heirs,  seeing  that  no  other  means  of  repairing 
his  fault  was  open  to  him. 

On  the  following  day  Mme.  Ragot  and  M.  Bonamy 
signed  the  agreement  by  which  the  said  Mme.  Ragot 
made  over  to  the  said  M.  Bonamy,  her  rights  as  next 
heir  to  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  in  consideration  of  three  hun- 
dred thousand  francs  paid  down.  Anthime  realized  his 
resources,  sold  some  timber,  and  also  a  number  of  shares, 
at  a  loss,  and  paid  down  the  money. 

He  resigned  himself  to  living  on  six  thousand  francs  a 
year  for  four  years.  Poor  man  !  It  is  true  that  at  the 
expiration  of  that  time  he  would  be  the  great  man  of 
Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes,  and  he  did  not  regard  the 
price  as  too  high  to  be  paid  for  that  end. 

Mme.  Ragot  was  radiant  with  delight!  Three  hundred 
thousand  francs  down !  She  reserved  fifty  thousand  for 
herself,  and,  like  a  good  mother  as  she  was,  made  over  the 
remainder  to  her  daughters,  for  whom  she  received 
twenty-four  offers  of  marriage  in  less  than  a  week.  Their 
only  difficulty  was  now  that  of  selection.  The  first 
decided  upon  accepting  the  hand  of  a  farmer,  the  second 
selected  a  neighbouring  notary,  the  third  favoured  the 
tax-gatherer  of  Saint-Pignon,  the  fourth  married  a  Paris 
merchant,  the  fifth  an  inspector  of  registration  ;  the  sixth 
and  last  chose  a  hunchback  who  possessed  a  private 
fortune. 

It  was  arranged  that  the  six  weddings  should  be  cele- 
brated on  the  same  day  at  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes, 
and  in  spite  of  the  law's  delays  and  inevitable  accidents, 
all  was  ready  for  the  first  week  in  November. 

We  may  leave  to  our  readers  imagination  the  scene  of 
the  six  weddings,  to  which  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
six  guests  were  invited.  The  table  was  spread  under  a 


153 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


tent,  specially  erected  in  the  garden  for  the  purpose, 
which  was  pillaged  on  the  occasion.  After  the  feast, 
Anthime  delivered  a  second  funeral  oration  upon  the 
illustrious  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  :  "  Standing  by  the  side  of  that 
hardly-closed  grave, — adieu,  Quies,  adieu,"  and  drowned 
his  grief  in  such  a  flood  of  burgundy  and  champagne  that 
he  awoke  under  the  table. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUIES.  159 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

IN   THE   DESERT. 

PROBABLY  the  reader  will  now  be  glad  to  learn  what 
had  become  of  J.  B.  Quies,  and  what  were  the  extraordi- 
nary circumstances  that  rendered  his  companions'  search 
for  him  fruitless. 

The  Arabs  who  had  been  questioned  about  him  had 
told  nothing  but  the  truth.  His  horse  had  followed  the 
baggage  with  great  docility  for  two  hours,  and  then 
suddenly,  but  with  no  evil  intention,  had  started  off  at 
hunting  speed.  The  doctor,  as  we  know,  found  a  slow 
trot  too  much  for  him,  and  this  new  gait  of  going  plunged 
him  in  the  first  place  into  the  profoundest  perplexity.  Had 
he  not  been  afraid  of  breaking  a  limb  he  would  certainly 
have  allowed  himself  to  slip  off  the  odious  saddle  to  which 
he  could  only  cling  by  intolerable,  even  inconceivable 
efforts. 

The  first  impulse  of  an  inexperienced  rider  in  a  similar 
case,  is  to  catch  hold  of  the  horse's  mane,  and  tighten  his 
legs  round  its  body.  Quies  resorted  to  both  expedients, 
and  the  horse,  thoroughly  acquainted  with  its  business, 
took  this  vigorous  pressure  for  an  order  to  go  faster,  and 
changed  its  hunting  for  racing  speed.  Quies  let  go  the 
mane,  but  with  his  right  hand  only,  and  seizing  the  bridle 
tugged  at  it  with  all  his  might.  Wrong  again  !  His  horse 
only  went  the  faster.  He  might,  perhaps,  have  succeeded 
in  stopping  the  animal,  or,  as  he  was  borne  along  in  the 
direction  of  his  companions,  he  might  have  had  a  chance 
of  one  off  them  coming  to  his  aid/had  not  a  huge  ostrich 


160  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

which  chanced  to  be  sitting  in  his  path  suddenly  risen  and 
crossed  it. 

Just  as  a  well-trained  troop-horse  will  go  through  the 
manoeuvres  of  war  at  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  without 
any  direction  from  his  rider,  so  will  a  well-trained  hunter 
pursue  the  quarry  of  its  own  accord.  Unfortunately 
for  Quies,  his  "  mount "  was  a  highly-trained  and  cou- 
rageous animal,  and,  into  the  bargain,  one  possessing 
large  experience.  He  knew  the  swift  ostrich  as  well  as 
J.  B.  Quies  knew  the  square  of  the  hypothenuse,  and 
would  have  held  himself  a  sad  laggard  in  duty  if  he  had 
not  instantly  charged  in  pursuit  of  the  game  that  had 
been  so  unexpectedly  put  up.  He  therefore  wheeled 
suddenly  round,  and,  putting  forth  all  his  speed,  followed 
the  bird,  which  strode  away  over  the  plain  with  ruffled 
wings  and  outstretched  neck.  From  that  moment  Quies 
had  but  one  thought,  one  hope,  one  object—  to  stick  on  ! 
Half  rising  in  his  stirrups,  bending  over  the  horse's  neck, 
and  holding  on  desperately  by  its  mane,  he  beheld,  as 
though  in  a  dream,  ddias  succeed  to  daias,  and  the  great 
plain  flying  at  both  sides  of  him  !  The  remains  of  an  old 
habit  made  him  form  a  confused  calculation  to  the  effect 
that,  supposing  his  horse  to  be  going  at  the  rate  of  five 
leagues  an  hour,  and  to  keep  on  at  the  same  speed  for 
four  hours,  he  should  have  traversed  a  distance  of  twenty 
leagues  !  He  reflected  that  the  animal  would  then  be 
exhausted,  and  unable  to  return,  and  that  he  himself  would 
have  to  lie  down  in  solitude  under  some  wretched  bush, 
at  the  mercy  of  wild  beasts,  to  suffer  from  hunger  and 
thirst,  and  that,  after  all  this  misery,  he  would  probably 
fail  to  find  his  way  back,  and  would  die  in  that  dreadful 
country. 

He  had  no  provisions  except  two  biscuits  in  a  courier's 
bag.  The  botanical  case,  which  he  wore  slung  over  his 
shoulder,  contained  herbs  that  were  rather  purgative  than 
nutritive.  This  box  hung  at  his  left  side  ;  the  strap  by 
which  it  was  suspended  on  his  right  shoulder  passed  under 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


161 


his  linen  jacket,  and  was  fastened  by  a  buckle  to  his  waist- 
band for  fear  of  accident.  The  courier's  bag  hung  on  his 
right  side,  and  also  under  his  jacket.  We  should  not,  as 
it  may  readily  be  supposed,  dwell  upon  details  of  this  kind 
it  they  were  not,  as  will  presently  appear,  of  the  utmost 
importance. 

The  ostrich  sped  on  and  on  ;  its  long  legs  were  spread 
like  a  compass,  and  literally  devoured  space.  The  horse, 
full  of  emulation,  and  determined  not  to  give  in,  pressed 
the  great  bird  closely  ;  its  nose  touched  the  quarry.  Quies 


The  ostrich  sped  on  and  on  ! 

could  have  pulled  the  wing  feathers  by  putting  out  his 
hand ;  this,  however,  was  the  last  thing  he  thought  of 
doing.  He  was  occupied  exclusively  in  reflecting  on  the 
probable  consequences  of  an  adventure  which  was  be- 
coming more  terrible  with  every  moment  of  this  formid- 
able gallop. 

The  idea  of  killing  his  horse  occurred  to  him.  That 
would  ensure  the  animal's  coming  to  a  stop.,  to  be  sure, 
but  it  would  not  help  Quies  to  regain  the  camp.  Could 
he  get  back  on  foot  ?  Never  !  He  sought  for  another 


ii 


l62  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 

expedient,  and  was  led  by  his  natural  logic  to  conclude 
that  if  he  were  to  kill  the  ostrich,  his  horse,  having  no 
more  object  in  maintaining  its  speed,  would  stop  of  its 
own  free  will.  But  how  was  he  to  kill  the  ostrich  ?  He 
had  neither  a  revolver  nor  a  rifle.  His  sole  weapon  was  a 
penknife — a  good  big  one  to  be  sure,  and  more  than  suffi- 
cient for  the  perpetration  of  the  murder  that  he  meditated, 
although,  from  the  position  he  was  in,  it  would  be  difficult 
to  use.  He  would  have  to  get  within  arm's  length  of  the 
ostrich.  Did  Quies  manoeuvre  towards  this  end,  or  did 
the  horse  instinctively  comprehend  his  project  ?  However 
that  may  be,  five  minutes  after  the  cut- throat  device  occurred 
to  the  doctor,  the  horse  and  the  ostrich  were  racing  side 
by  side. 

Quies  opened  his  knife,  clasped  it  firmly  in  his  right 
hand,  then  leaned  over  as  far  as  he  could,  and  stretched 
out  his  arm  to  strike  the  bird.  Unfortunately  for  him, 
this  movement  caused  a  sudden  deviation  of  the  left 
hand  ;  a  pull  upon  the  rein  made  the  horse  plunge,  and,  in 
trying  to  change  its  foot,  it  stumbled  against  a  block  of 
stone,  and  came  headlong  down,  bringing  with  it  not  only 
its  rider  but  the  ostrich,  on  which  it  had  fallen. 

Quies  had  been  pitched  clean  over  the  horse's  head.  He 
was  shaken  by  the  fall,  and  giddy  ;  nevertheless  he  was 
preparing  to  rise  and  get  into  the  saddle  again,  even 
though  his  diabolical  courser  should  bear  him  away  to  the 
end  of  the  world,  when  he  felt  himself  taken  up  by  his 
middle,  and  carried  off,  his  legs  just  brushing  the  ground, 
in  a  second  race  which  had  not  even  the  negative  advan- 
tages of  the  first. 

A  glance  apprised  him  of  what  had  occurred,  and  he 
thought  with  a  shudder  of  what  might  yet  happen.  He 
was  hanging  by  the  strap  of  his  botanical  case  from  the 
ostrich's  neck,  the  bird  having  passed  its  head  between 
the  strap  and  the  doctor's  body  in  its  effort  to  rise. 

Quick  as  lightning  he  bethought  him  of  cutting  the 
strap  !  Alas  !  he  no  longer  possessed  a  knife.  Cast  loose 


DR.  J.   B.  QUlfcS.  163 

his  botanical  case  !     To  do  this  he  must  take  off  his  jacket, 
an  impossibility  in  the  attitude  he  was  in  ! 

The  ostrich  would  have  been  by  no  means  sorry  to  get 
rid  of  its  cumbersome  burthen,  and  shook  itself  violently 
in  attempting  to  dislodge  Quies.  The  bird  was,  however, 
no  more  successful  than  the  doctor,  who,  more  than  half 
choked,  and  severely  bruised  by  the  bumpings  and  buffet- 
ings  of  his  extraordinary  "  mount,"  could  think  of  nothing 
better — if  indeed  he  thought  at  all — than  to  cling  to  the 
left  wing  of  the  ostrich  and  hoist  himself  on  its  back  by 
the  strength  of  his  wrists.  This  feat  took  much  longer 
to  accomplish  than  it  takes  to  relate  ;  he  succeeded  in 
effecting  it,  however. 

On  getting  rid  of  the  inconvenient  bundle  which  had 
been  knocking  against  its  legs,  the  bird  made  but  light  of 
the  weight  transferred  to  a  comparatively  legitimate  part 
of  its  person,  and  started  off  at  much  increased  speed, 
to-  escape  from  a  danger  that  no  longer  existed.  Not 
but  that  the  doctor  was  resolved  to  kill  it.  Will  is, 
however,  one  thing,  and  power  is  another.  The  instant 
he  attempted  to  let  go  he  lost  his  balance,  and  in 
order  to  avoid  falling,  and  once  more  finding  himself 
hanging  by  his  middle,  he  had  to  seize  the  bird's  neck 
with  both  hands.  If  his  fists  had  been  strong  enough,  he 
would  have  strangled  it. 

The  ostrich,  terrified  and  wild,  sped  on  and  on  like  a 
cloud  driven  by  the  wind  ! 

What  was  in  reserve  in  the  future  for  the  unhappy 
Quies,  once  more  the  victim  of  that  fatality  which  had 
pursued  him  ever  since  his  departure  from  Saint-Pignon  ? 
He  dared  not  think  of  this.  He  tightened  the  grip  of  his 
hands,  he  tightened  the  hold  of  his  legs,  he  shut  his  eyes 
to  escape  from  the  fearful  vision  through  which  he  was 
swept. 

"  Sooner  or  later  it  will  stop,"  he  thought.  "  No  crea- 
ture, not  even  an  ostrich,  can  go  on  beyond ' 

Quies  shuddered  at  the  figure  that  came  into  his  mind. 


164  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 

"  At  any  rate  the  bird  will  stop  at  some  time,"  he 
repeated  to  himself.  "  They  will  come  to  look  for  me. 
They  have  good  horses  ;  it  is  impossible  that  they  should 
lose  all  trace  of  me.  They  will  not  let  an  old  friend 
die  of  hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue.  An  old  friend,  a  com- 
panion of  their  childhood  !  Childhood  !  Oh,  Saint- 
Pignon  !  Saint-Pignon  !  Stop,  stop,  I  say,  you  accursed 
animal !  V 

As  he  thus  apostrophized  the  ostrich  he  squeezed  its 
neck  with  renewed  force,  and  the  furious  bird  made  a 
wild  bound  and  sped  on  more  swiftly  than  before.  It  had 
maintained  this  almost  incredible  pace  for  upwards  of  an 
hour,  and  Quies,  who  was  now  exhausted,  felt  his  hands 
stiffening,  and  his  benumbed  legs  slipping  off  their  sup- 
port, when  a  fresh  torture  supervened  on  all  those  from 
which  he  was  already  suffering  so  cruelly. 

It  may  safely  be  asserted  that  women  have  not  the 
monopoly  of  curiosity,  and  that  ostriches  do  not  yield  in 
that  respect  to  the  most  charming  portion  of  the  human 
race.  Half-a-dozen  of  the  desert  birds,  having  seen  their 
sister  pass  by  in  the  curious  accoutrement  acquired  in  her 
fall,  had  started  in  pursuit,  and  having  rejoined  her,  and 
observed  with  great  surprise  that  she  carried  an  append- 
age of  strange  form  upon  her  back  ;  they  stretched  out 
their  long  necks  with  the  evident  intention  of  discovering 
what  the  unhappy  rider  was  made  of.  If  they  had  been 
satisfied  with  a  close  inspection  only,  the  evil  would 
not  have  been  so  great ;  but  they  pecked  with  their 
beaks  at  the  unknown  objects  with  great  vigour  and  per- 
severance. 

These  reiterated  pecks  not  only  inflicted  acute  pain  on 
the  wretched  Quies,  but  excited  the  ostrich,  already  nearly 
mad  with  fear.  The  pace  changed  to  steeple-chase  speed  ; 
the  flock  of  ostriches  and  their  prisoner  swept  on  like  a 
whirlwind.  It  became  evident  to  Quies  that  his  torment 
would  end  only  with  the  life  of  the  bird.  For  how  much 
longer  would  it  have  strength  to  run  ?  If  it  were  only 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


I65 


phthisical !  That  would  save  two  or  three  hours  !  But 
the  ostrich,  on  the  contrary,  was  apparently  endowed  with 
lungs  of  exceptional  capacity.  Long  after  its  companions 
had  dropped  out  of  the  race,  it  still  held  on,  speeding 
away  straight  before  it,  like  a  creature  entirely  bereft  of 
reason. 


The  ostrich  suddenly  dropped  beneath  him. 

Night  fell,  and  the  bird  was  still  speeding  on  like  the 
wind !  How  many  hours  had  that  headlong  course 
lasted  ?  Quies  could  not  have  told.  He  was  half  dead, 
hardly  conscious,  and  at  last  he  had  let  go  his  hold,  and 
remained,  God  knows  how,  clinging  automatically  to  his 
fantastic  courser. 


1 66  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

All  chance  of  safety  was  escaping  his  grasp  !  Around 
him  the  daias  had  disappeared.  The  yellowish-green,  arid 
plains  of  Awhata  had  been  succeeded  by  others,  then  by 
others  still  which  were  of  a  yellowish-brown  hue,  and 
anon  by  plains  of  a  lighter  yellow,  so  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach. 

Sand  !  Sand  everywhere  !  The  desert  !  He  had 
commended  his  soul  to  God,  and  felt  that  he  was  about  to 
die  like  a  man  and  a  Christian,  when  the  ostrich  suddenly 
dropped  beneath  him.  He  heard  around  him  a  noise  like 
the  clatter  of  saucepans,  then  like  human  cries,  and  he 
fainted. 

It  will  be  admitted  that  he  did  not  do  so  without 
reason.  The  only  wonder  is  that  he  had  not  fainted 
long  before. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUIES.  167 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   PROJECTS  OF  SIR  THOMAS   NICHOLL. 

WHEN  the  doctor  recovered  his  senses,  the  first  thing 
which  he  vaguely  remembered  was  the  metallic  sound 
that  had  caught  his  ear  at  the  moment  of  his  fall,  and 
from  that  trifling  particular  the  logic  due  to  his  studies 
enabled  him  to  draw  several  conclusions,  even  before 
he  had  fully  realized  his  own  condition,  or  had  dis- 
covered on  what  spot  his  fortunes  and  the  ostrich  had 
dropped  him. 

"  Where  there  are  no  men,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  there 
will  be  no  saucepans.  Ergo,  I  am  not  in  a  desert  place. 
Again,  saucepans  imply  civilization  ;  savages  do  not  travel 
with  any  such  incumbrances.  I  am,  therefore,  in  the 
midst  of  hospitable  beings  who  will  not  seek  to  harm  me 
Who  are  these  beings  ?  The  Sahara  is  justly  reputed  to 
be  little  frequented.  All  the  indications  point  to  my 
having  returned  to  the  place  I  started  from.  My  ostrich, 
no  doubt,  ran  head-foremost  into  the  midst  of  the  hunters. 
La  Carriole  will  soon  make  his  appearance — my  dear  La 
Carriole,  and  Henri,  my  pupil,  and  M.  de  Malleville — all 
the  others  too.  Ah,  how  they  will  laugh  at  my  absurd 
adventure  ! " 

Quite,  satisfied  by  his  own  train  of  reasoning,  the  good 
doctor  opened  his  eyes.  He  was  under  a  comfortable 
tent,  stretched  on  a  clean  mat  of  plaited  straw,  so  exactly 
like  that  in  the  camp  at  Awhata,  that  he  rose,  went  out, 
and  cried  aloud, — 

"  I  am  not  dead,  Commandant,  I  am  not — " 


1 68 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


He  left  his  sentence  unfinished,  and  stood  there,  with 
eyes  staring  wildly  and  mouth  half  open. 

Right  in  front  of  him,  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  formed  by 
the  tents  of  the  camp  into  which  he  had  been  carried, 
sixty  camels  were  taking  their  rest,  with  half-closed  eye 
and  hanging  lip.  Negroes,  whose  entire  costume  con- 
sisted of  white  cotton  drawers,  were  running  hither  and 
thither ;  at  a  little  distance  a  group  of  impassive  Arabs 


"  Where  can  I  be  ?  and  who  are  these  people  ?  " 

were  smoking  tranquilly.     All  around,  so  far  he  could  see, 
was  sand,  nothing  but  sand  ! 

His  knees  knocked  together,  his  legs  bent  under  him, 
and  he  promptly  retreated  within  the  shelter  of  his  tent, 
in  order  to  collect  the  ideas  that  were  whirling  through 
his  head. 

"  Where  can  I  be  ?  "  he  asked  himself,  "  and  who  are 
these  people  ?  " 


DR.   J.   B.   QUl£S. 


169 


As  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  answer  his  own  ques- 
tion, he  very  wisely  reflected  that  it  was  not  to  himself  he 
ought  to  address  it,  but  to  the  people  before  his  eyes.  He 
accordingly  put  on  an  immense  straw  hat  with  a  pointed 
crown  which  he  had  found  in  the  tent,  sallied  forth,  and, 
accosting  an  Arab,  said  with  a  very  low  bow, — 

"  Will  you  tell  me,  my  friend,  where  I  am,  and  who 
you  are  ?  " 

The  Arab  looked  at  him,  sent  a  puff  of  smoke  in  his 


The  Arab  sent  a  puff  of  smoke  in  his  direction. 

direction,  then  cast  down  his  eyes  and  gravely  shook  his 
head. 

"  He  knows  no  French,"  thought  Quies,  "  and,  unfortu- 
nately, I  do  not  know  one  word  of  Arabic.  It  is  clear 
that  we  shall  never  understand  each  other." 

In  hopes  of  better  fortune,  he  questioned  successively  all 
the  people  belonging  to  the  caravan,  but  obtained  only 
unintelligible  replies.  He  was,  therefore,  obliged  to  fall 
back  upon  probabilities.  The  one  indisputable  fact  upon 
which  he  might  base  his  suppositions  was  that  he  was  in 


170  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

the  actual  desert.  He  had,  then,  been  carried  to  the 
south,  and  a  very  long  distance,  since  the  desert,  properly 
so  called,  began  only  below  Whargla.  That  word  was  a 
ray  of  light  to  him.  Whargla  is  the  starting-point  of  the 
caravans  which  travel  to  the  Soudan  and  bring  back  the 
products  of  Central  Africa  to  Algiers. 

He  was  on  the  road  to  the  Soudan  !  He  !  Quies  ! 
On  the  road  ?  Why  so?  How  did  he  know  but  that  the 
caravan  was  returning  from  the  Soudan  instead  of  going 
thither  ?  He  so  ardently  desired  to  find  the  realization  of 
this  conjecture  that  he  immediately  took  it  for  granted. 
Once  restored  to  the  inhabited  country,  it  would  be  quite 
easy  for  him  to  find  his  friends,  to  regain  Algiers,  and  to 
establish  himself  in  that  town  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

It  would,  however,  be  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that 
Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  accepted  the  probable  consequences  of  this 
adventure  with  resignation.  As  he  lay  in  the  tent, 
deeply  despondent,  he  debated  with  himself  whether  it 
would  not  be  better  to  have  done  with  life  altogether. 
Two  things,  however,  deterred  him  from  committing  a 
rash  and  irreparable  act ;  he  had  no  means  of  effecting 
self-destruction,  and  he  felt  certain  that  he  should  not 
survive  the  sufferings  of  this  last  journey.  Therefore  was 
he  resigned. 

"  A  day  sooner  or  a  day  later,"  said  he,  with  a  deep 
sigh  ;  "  what  does  it  matter  ?  " 

Nevertheless,  he  was  quite  willing  to  put  off  the  fatal 
hour  by  devouring  a  ration  of  rice  and  drinking  a  bowlful 
of  acidulated  water  ;  refreshments  which  were  respectfully 
offered  to  him  by  a  negro,  and  which  afforded  him  a 
welcome  proof  that  those  into  whose  hands  he  had  fallen 
did  not  cherish  any  design  against  his  life. 

A  ration  of  rice  is  not  indeed  so  restorative  to  an 
exhausted  man  as  a  good  cutlet  with  its  appropriate 
accompaniments  ;  but  for  all  that  Dr.  Quies  was  so  much 
revived  by  his  frugal  meal  that  he  immediately  became 
more  anxious  than  before  to  know  where  he  was,  and 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


171 


especially  when  he  might  come  to  a  stop.  He  had  just 
put  his  nose  outside  the  canvas,  and  was  about  to  resume 
his  investigations,  when  his  ear  was  caught  by  a  sentence 
uttered  in  English.  He  darted  out  of  his  provisional 
domicile,  and  instantly  beheld  the  person  who  had  uttered 
that  thrice-blessed  sentence  standing  amid  a  crowd  of 
attendants. 

The  individual  in  question  was  a  tall  man,  over  six  feet 
high,  and  of  Herculean 
frame.  His  complexion 
was  of  almost  womanish 
fairness,  and  his  hair, 
eye-lashes,  and  long 
whiskers,  were  all,  and 
equally,  light.  The  ex- 
pression of  his  grey  eyes 
was  extremely  sweet  and 
gentle,  his  hands  were 
slender  and  elegant,  his 
feet  small.  He  was  a 
true  gentleman.  He 
spoke  in  a  firm  decided 
tone,  like  one  accus- 
tomed to  command,  but 
neither  rudely  nor 
harshly. 

His  eyes  had  already 
lighted  twice  upon  Quies ; 
but  he  turned  his  head 
away  as  though  he  had 
not  perceived  him. 

"He  is  probably  short-sighted,"  thought  the  doctor, 
drawing  near  to  this  imposing  personage,  hat  in  hand,  and 
with  his  spine  at  an  angle  of  forty-five. 

"  Sir,  I  have  the  honour  to  salute  you." 

The  gentleman  turned  his  back  without  making  him 
either  an  answer  or  a  bow. 


Sir  Thomas  Nicholl. 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


Quies  rapped  his  forehead  with  his  knuckles,  and  said 
to  himself,  — 

"  What  an  ass  I  am  !  Of  course  he  does  not  speak 
French." 

Unfortunately  for  himself  the  poor  doctor  knew  no 
English,  or,  at  least,  he  could  only  put  three  or  four 
words  together.  He  called  up  all  his  school  memories, 
and  quite  proud  of  his  success,  he  ejaculated,  — 

"Sir,  I  am  French." 

The  "  Sir  "  whom  he  addressed  did  not  even  turn  his 
head  in  the  direction  of  the  speaker,  so  fully  was  he  occu- 
pied with  setting  up  hydrometers,  sextants,  graphometers, 
and  other  instruments,  all,  as  may  be  supposed,  well 
known  to  the  doctor,  who  could  not  refrain  from 
muttering  :  — 

"  What  the  devil  is  this  strange  person  about  ?  Is  it 
the  survey  of  the  Sahara  ?  But  why  does  he  not  speak 
to  me  ?  Why  does  he  not  look  at  me  ?  I  have  perhaps 
offended  him  unintentionally." 

Then  he  lessened  the  angle  of  his  vertebral  column 
by  a  dozen  degrees,  and  approached  this  singular  indi- 
vidual bare-headed.  He  even  went  so  far  as  gently  to 
touch  his  arm  with  the  finger-tips  of  his  right  hand. 
His  second  attempt  to  attract  attention  proving  as  in- 
effectual as  the  first,  Quies  boldly  seized  the  Englishman 
by  the  end  of  his  round  jacket,  and  pulled  it  as  one  pulls 
a  bell  when  the  door  does  not  open  readily. 

The  Englishman  did  not  turn  his  head,  but  he  uttered  a 
few  words  in  a  language  entirely  unknown  to  Quies,  and 
had  hardly  spoken  ere  two  negroes  laid  hands  on  the 
doctor  and  carried  him  to  his  tent.  There  they  set  him 
down  and  left  him,  closing  the  canvas  flaps  over  the 
aperture.  Quies  was  inclined  to  resist,  but  he  had  two 
stout  fellows  to  deal  with,  and  he  thought  better  of  it. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  as  he  sank  down  heavily  upon  his  mat, 
"here  is  another  trick  of  his  Majesty,  Chance  !  This  man 
must  have  a  bee  in  his  bonnet.  Here  I  am  in  company 


DR.   J.   B.     QUlfcS. 


with  a  madman  and  half  a  hundred  ruffians,  at  I  don't 
know  how  many  leagues  from  a  civilized  country.  I, 
Quies  !  No  !  No  !  It  is  impossible  !  I  am  dreaming  ! 
I  have  a  nightmare  !  I  am  at  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes 
in  my  own  bed  !  Gertrude  !  Gertrude  !  " 

As  he  uttered  that  dear  name  which  evoked  the  recollec- 
tion of  so  many  toothsome  repasts  and  friendly  chats,  Dr. 


Two  negroes  laid  hands  on  the  doctor. 

J.  B.  Quies  felt  a  tingling  sensation  in  his  right  arm. 
A  large  corking  pin,  the  last  remnant  of  his  zoologist's 
outfit,  which  had  been  dispersed  in  the  desert,  had  stuck 
itself  into  him,  and  wrung  from  him  a  cry  of  pain, 
which  afforded  a  more  conclusive  proof  of  his  identity 
than  a  sheaf  of  sworn  affidavits.  To  sleep  is  to 
forget.  He  stretched  himself  out,  shut  his  eyes,  put 


174  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

his  fingers  in  his  ears,  and — got  up.  They  were  taking 
down  the  canvas  of  his  tent  !  Everything  was  in 
confusion  ;  the  camp  was  up  !  The  camels  were  awaiting 
the  signal  for  the  departure,  which  the  Arabs  and  the 
negroes  were  hastening  on  with  strange  cries  and  barbaric 
talk.  In  ten  minutes  all  was  ready  ;  the  caravan  was 
about  to  resume  its  march. 

"  And  I  !  "  exclaimed  Quies  ;  "  what  are  they  going  to 
do  with  me  ?  Will  they  leave  me  here  ?  " 

The  English  gentleman  called  out  "  Forward  ! "  The 
camels  began  to  move  slowly  in  single  file,  escorted  on 
either  side  by  a  long  line  of  human  beings.  When  the 
last  of  the  men  had  passed  before  him,  the  Englishman 
took  his  place  at  the  rear  of  the  column,  from  whence  he 
commanded  a  view  of  the  whole  company. 

For  the  third  time  Quies  approached  him,  but  with 
folded  hands  and  an  imploring  mien.  As  he  was  con- 
vinced that  it  was  useless  for  him  to  speak,  since  the 
Englishman  did  not  understand  French,  he  had  recourse 
to  an  expressive  pantomime.  Pointing  to  his  legs  and  com- 
paring them  with  those  of  the  chief,  pointing  to  his  portly 
person,  and  exaggerating  its  dimensions,  he  staggered 
and  made  believe  to  fall.  Was  not  all  this  saying,  as 
plainly  as  it  could  be  expressed  in  a  long  speech,  "  I  am 
too  fat  for  walking  ;  in  five  minutes  I  shall  be  exhausted  ; 
I  shall  fall  ;  to  subject  me  to  such  an  ordeal  is  to  condemn 
me  to  death  "  ?  The  English  gentleman  made  no  answer, 
made  no  sign  that  he  had  even  seen  Quies,  but  called  loudly. 
The  column  halted.  Two  men  approached  the  doctor, 
hoisted  him  on  a  camel's  back,  tied  him  securely  in  his 
place,  and  threw  a  covering  over  his  head  and  body.  The 
caravan  started  afresh,  and  Quies  was  once  more  reduced 
to  the  condition  of  a  parcel. 

In  the  evening  the  caravan  stopped,  and  the  tents 
were  struck  in  the  same  order  as  on  the  previous  day. 
The  doctor  was  set  at  liberty,  and  supplied  with  rice, 
biscuits,  and  water,  as  before.  Again,  too,  his  sleeping 


DR.   J.   B.   QUI&S.  175 

place  was  pointed  out,  and  no  one  took  any  farther  notice 
of  him. 

During  this  time,  the  strange  traveller,  whose  prisoner, 
so  to  speak,  poor  Quies  had  become,  was  scanning  the 
horizon  as  though  he  expected  an  arrival.  He  even 
allowed  himself  to  be  betrayed  occasionally  into  a  gesture 
of  disappointment  and  anger,  in  spite  of  the  phleg- 
matic bearing  which  seemed  natural  to  him.  He  had 
been  speaking  in  an  animated  way  to  his  Arabs,  and  a 
party  of  them  was  preparing  to  carry  out  some  order 
which  he  had  given  them,  when  a  group  appeared  on  the 
horizon,  standing  out  against  the  sky.  The  Englishman 
heaved  a  sigh  of  relief,  and  stretched  out  his  hand  to  stop 
the  movement. 

An  hour  later  the  travellers  who  had  been  discerned 
from  afar  reached  the  camp.  The  party  consisted  of 
twelve  negroes,  an  Arab  in  charge  of  a  laden  camel,  and  a 
European,  at  first  sight  of  whom  Dr.  Quies  uttered  a  cry 
of  surprise. 

"  Magloire  !  " 

"  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  !  " 

Magloire,  yes!  Magloire,  the  troublesome  domestic  whom 
the  doctor  had  retained  in  his  service  for  just  three-quarters 
of  an  hour.  Magloire  in  the  midst  of  the  Sahara  ! 

Distress  and  danger  have  a  marvellous  efficacy  in  dimin- 
ishing distances,  and  reducing  social  inequalities  to  very 
trifling  proportions :  the  quondam  master  stretched  out  his 
arms  to  the  quondam  valet,  who  threw  himself  into  them. 

This  mutual  impulse  was  due  in  the  former  to  the  evident 
satisfaction  which  he  derived  from  meeting  with  a  human 
being  who  could  render  him  assistance  when  he  needed  it 
so  sorely,  and  in  the  latter  to  the  pleasure  of  being  publicly 
welcomed  in  such  friendly  fashion  by  so  eminent  a  savant 
as  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies. 

"  Magloire,  you  are  acquainted  with  this  gentleman  ? " 
said  the  Englishman,  who  had  looked  on  at  the  scene 
without  the  slightest  indication  of  surprise. 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Introduce  him  to  me,  if  you  please." 

Magloire  bowed,  took  the  doctor  by  the  hand,  and 
said, — 

"  I  have  the  honour  of  introducing  to  you  Dr.  Quies, 
member  of  all  the  learned  societies  in  France." 

The  Englishman  bowed. 

"  Introduce  me  now,"  he  said. 


i& 


"  I  have  the  honour  of  introducing  to  you  Dr.  Quies." 

Magloire  wheeled  round,  and  resumed, — 

"  Doctor,  I  have  the  honour  of  introducing  to  you  Sir 
Thomas  Nicholl,  member — " 

"  That  will  do,"  said  the  Englishman. 

Magloire  bowed  and  stepped  back,  and  Sir  Thomas 
Nicholl,  smiling  in  the  most  gracious  way,  held  out  both 
his  hands  to  Quies,  saying, — 

"  I  am  delighted,  sir,  to  make  your  acquaintance." 


DR.   J.  B.   QUl£S.  177 

Then,  without  giving  the  doctor  time  to  reply,  he  said 
to  Magloire, — 

"  Was  I  mistaken  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.  I  have  made  out  a  chain  of  mountains  at 
three  days'  journey  on  our  left." 

"  That's  right." 

With  this,  Sir  Thomas,  delighted  with  the  result  of 
Magloire's  expedition,  went  away  to  give  orders,  leaving 
Dr.  Quies  and  his  servant  of  an  hour  face  to  face. 

"  I  was  quite  sure,"  said  the  latter,  "  that  Monsieur  had 
travelled.  Ah  !  Monsieur  made  a  great  mistake  in  not 
keeping  me  in  his  service.  He  would  have  been  well 
pleased  with  me.  I  should  have  been  proud  to  follow 
Monsieur  to  the  end  of  the  world." 

"  I  thank  you,  my  friend,"  replied  Dr.  Quies,  "  for  so 
flattering  a  preference.  But  how  comes  it  that  I  find  you 
here  in  the — " 

"  Oh,  that  is  very  easily  explained,  sir.  On  leaving  your 
house  I  went  direct  to  Paris,  to  the  Geographical  Society  ; 
for  I  was  born  to  travel.  I  begged  that  I  might  be 
taken  into  the  employment  of  the  first  explorer  who  would 
accept  my  services.  A  week  afterwards  I  was  directed  to 
apply  to  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl."  t 

"  An  extraordinary  oddity  !  " 

"  Thanks,  doctor,"  exclaimed  Sir  Thomas,  who  had 
given  his  orders  and  retraced  his  steps. 

"  Upon  my  word,  sir,"  said  Quies,  "  I  cannot  withdraw 
the  expression.  And  you  will  be  the  first  to  acknowledge 
that  I  am  right" 

"  Indeed  ?  " 

"  Remember  the  very  strange  manner  in  which  you 
received  me  !  I  must  ask  you  to  do  that  !  Here  was  I, 
for  three  whole  days,  and  you  never  spoke  to  me  ;  you 
seemed  as  if  you  never  even  saw  that  I  was  present  ! 
You  speak  French,  and  you  made  no  answer  either  to  my 
advances  or  my  questions." 

"  You  had  not  been  introduced  to  me,  doctor  ?  " 
12 


i;8  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 

"  Ah,  ah,  ah,"  said  Quies,  with  the  modulations  of  an 
ascending-  gamut,  "  I  am  thankful  to  Magloire  for  having 
arrived  just  in  time  to  introduce  me,  for,  if  I  had  not  been 
introduced  to  you — " 

"  Then,  my  dear  doctor,  I  should  always  have  had  to 
regret  that  I  had  been  obliged  to  terminate  my  journey  with- 
out availing  myself  of  the  knowledge  of  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  savants  in  Europe." 

Quies  rolled  his  eyes  like  two  solitaire  balls,  and  stood 
on  his  toes.  This  point-blank  compliment  was  pleasantly 
flattering,  and  it  healed  some  of  the  still  bleeding  wounds 
which  had  been  inflicted  upon  him  by  his  extraordinary 
peregrinations. 

It  must  indeed  be  admitted  that,  although  he  had  been 
dragged  against  his  will  into  a  distant  country,  and  com- 
mitted to  a  journey  whose  end  was  hidden  in  the  mists  of 
uncertainty,  the  joy  of  having  found,  under  such  circum- 
stances, beings  to  whom  he  could  speak,  Europeans,  almost 
friends,  reduced  the  gravity  of  his  situation  very  consider- 
ably. 

He  shrank  with  great  repugnance  from  admitting  to  his 
new  companions,  who  were  so  fully  persuaded  of  his  scien- 
tific eminence,  by  what  a  succession  of  chances — the  ostrich 
only  excepted — he  had  been  driven  to  the  spot  where  they 
found  him.  He  replied  to  their  questions  by  hums  and 
haws  and  other  monosyllables,  which  were  interpreted  by 
Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  and  Magloire  in  the  sense  most  favour- 
able to  his  prowess  and  his  devotion  to  science. 

"  We  know,"  said  Sir  Thomas,  "  that  all  savants  are 
modest." 

"  I  hope,  at  least,"  said  Quies,  whose  chief  desire  was  to 
turn  the  conversation,  "  that  you  will  not  be  so  modest  as 
to  keep  from  me  the  great  and  useful  purposes  which  have 
brought  you  here,  and  that  you  will  let  me  know — " 

"  Anything  and  everything  you  like,  my  dear  sir.  In 
the  first  place  I  am  at  present  engaged  in  the  delimitation 
of  the  northern  extremity  of  the  former  great  inland  sea, 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  179 

which  has  become,  in  consequence  of  the  invasion  and 
accumulation  of  sand,  the  existing  desert.  On  the  east 
it  is  naturally  bounded  by  a  chain  of  mountains.  I  do  not 
care  about  the  western  side  just  at  present ;  as  for  the 
south  we  shall  see.  The  most  important  is  the  northern 
side." 

"  From  what  point  of  view  ?  " 

"  From  the  point  of  view  of  the  formation  of  my  first 
port." 

"  Your  first  port  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  I  purpose  to  connect  that  portion  of  the 
desert  with  the  Mediterranean  by  a  great  canal.  Owing 
to  the  difference  of  level  between  these  lands  and  the  sea, 
the  waters  will  pour  into  them  precipitately.  All  Africa 
will  be  fertilized.  Centres  of  commerce  will  be  established 
on  this  new  seaboard  of  which  I  have  taken  possession  in 
the  name  of  England." 

"  This  is  wonderful  !  "  exclaimed  Quies. 

"  The  project,  then,  does  not  annoy  you  ? " 

"  Not  in  the  least." 

"  And  you  consent  to  second  me  ?  " 

"  Most  readily." 

"  After  all,"  said  Quies  to  himself,  "  the  journey  will  not 
seem  so  long  to  me  ;  I  shall  end  by  forgetting  that  I  have 
several  hundred  leagues  to  travel  before  I  can  hope  to  see 
Algiers  again." 

"  It  is  a  settled  thing,  then  ?  You  belong  to  our 
party  ?  " 

"  I  can't  do  otherwise,"  muttered  Quies. 

"  That  is  good  news,"  said  Sir  Thomas,  "  and  I  shall 
send  it  off  at  once  to  my  correspondent  in  Europe." 

"  Then  you  have  a  post-office  here  ?  "  said  the  doctor, 
slyly. 

"  Yes,  certainly." 

"  That  being  so,  will  you  be  good  enough  to  transmit  my 
kindest  regards  to  the  relations  and  friends  whom  I  have 
left  at  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes." 


i8o 


THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 


"  What  you  wish  shall  be  done." 

Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  selected  a  sheet  of  extremely  thin 
paper,  wrote  a  few  lines  upon  it,  rolled  it  up,  and  placed  it 
in  a  little  tin  tube,  which  he  closed  and  sealed  with  the 
utmost  care.  During  this  time,  a  negro  had  approached, 
at  an  order  from  him,  carrying  a  large  wicker  cage,  in 


Quies  stood  with  uplifted  eyes  and  open  mouth. 

which  about  a  dozen  pigeons  were  fluttering.  Sir  Thomas 
selected  one  of  them,  tied  the  little  tin  tube  to  its  claw, 
and  let  it  loose.  The  bird  flew  straight  upwards  into  the 
air  to  a  great  height,  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
darting  off,  was  lost  to  sight  in  the  far  distance. 

Quies,  although   he  was   not  ignorant  of  this  mode  of 


DR.   J.    B.   QUlfcS.  l8l 

correspondence,  stood  with  uplifted  eyes  and  open  mouth, 
amazed,  not  at  the  departure  of  the  pigeon,  but  at  the  per- 
fection of  the  arrangements  of  the  caravan.  Nothing, 
indeed,  was  wanting  ;  everything  was  so  carefully  provided 
for,  that  Sir  Thomas  travelled  in  the  Sahara  as  he,  Quies, 
might  have  travelled  in  his  modest  domain  at  Saint-Pignon 
les  Girouettes. 

"  Doctor,"  said  Magloire,  "  don't  hold  your  face  up  like 
that  ;  you  will  have  a  sunstroke." 

Indeed  the  poor  doctor's  face  already  glowed  like  a 
furnace. 

"  And  you  are  getting  on  ?  "  he  asked  Sir  Thomas. 

"  Hum  !  I" don't  expect  to  have  finished  my  exploration 
for  these  five  months." 

"  How  long  did  you  say  ?  " 

"  Five  months." 

These  words  produced  the  effect  of  a  thunderbolt  upon 
Quies. 

"  Just  consider,"  continued  Sir  Thomas,  "  that  we  still 
have  to  explore  the  whole  of  the  southern  portion  of  this 
immense  lake." 

"  Have  you  not  just  said,"  Quies  ventured  to  ask,  "  that 
this  seaboard  is  of  secondary  importance  to  you  ? " 

"  Yes,  but  I  must  hoist  the  flag  of  Great  Britain  upon  it 
as  soon  as  possible." 

"  Allow  me.     When  a  Congress — " 

"  There  is  no  Congress,"  exclaimed  Sir  Thomas,  "  I 
take  possession  of  it  !  From  thence  I  pass  on  into  the 
Soudan,  I  make  a  hilt  at  Khartoum,  I  come  down  the 
Nile—" 

"  And  do  you  imagine,"  said  the  unhappy  Quies,  with 
feverish  excitement,  "  that  I  am  going  to  follow  you  to  the 
Soudan,  across  Nigritia,  I  know  not  whither  ?  I,  Quies  ! 
Ah,  that  is  quite  too  much  !  " 

"  You  must  do  as  you  think  proper,  my  dear  doctor  ?  " 

Sir  Thomas  shook  his  guest's  hands  heartily,  and 
walked  away  rolling  a  cigarette. 


1 82  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Ouies  remained  where  he  was  standing,  as  if  a  fairy's 
wand  had  stricken  him  into  immobility.  He  repeated  his 
invariable  "  Ah,"  and  when  he  had  recovered  himself  a 
little,  he  said, — 

"  As  I  think  proper  !  As  I  think  proper  !  Truly  this 
Englishman  is  prodigious  !  " 

"  Ah,"  said  Magloire,  "  What  a  grand  book  Monsieur 
will  write,  while  we  shall  be  busy  with  levelling  and  such 
like." 

"  Do  you  think,  Magloire,  that  I  shall  write  a  good 
book  ? " 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,  sir." 

"  Well— if  you  feel  sure—" 

"  Oh,  I  will  go  bail  for  Monsieur  for  that.  Why,  are  you 
not  one  of  the  glories  of  France  ?  " 

Quies  actually  chucked  himself  under  the  chin,  in  his 
self-congratulation  on  this  flattering  estimate  of  the  result 
of  his  lifelong  labours.  But  pride  held  only  the  second 
rank  among  the  doctor's  feelings.  This  little  gust  of  it 
soon  passed  away,  and  he  relapsed  into  the  poignant 
sense  of  reality.  Wild  with  anger  and  despair,  he  sought 
the  shelter  of  his  tent,  with  the  muttered  words, — 

"  What  does  he  mean  to  do  with  me  ?  " 

Under  the  influence  of  this  terrible  anxiety  the  wretched 
doctor  decreased  his  head  of  hair  by  another  good  hand- 
ful. If  this  were  to  go  on  much  longer  he  would  be 
completely  bald,  even  before  he  should  have  reached 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  great  inland  sea  of 
Africa.  When  the  time  for  raising  the  camp  came,  Sir 
Thomas,  still  smiling,  approached  him  with  outstretched 
hands. 

"  You  come  with  us,  doctor  ? "  said  he. 

"  Never  !  " 

"  Why  ?     It  is  a  charming  journey." 

"  Never  !  " 

"  You  will  have  some  trouble  in  getting  back  alone  to 
Whargla." 


DR.   J.    B.   QUlfcS.  183 

"  Alone  ? " 

"  Certainly.  I  cannot  give  you  anybody.  I  require  all  my 
people,  and  have  only  the  indispensable  supplies  with  me." 

"Well,  sir,"  said  Quies,  standing  up  on  his  toes,  and 
swelling  with  indignation,  "  since  you  carry  selfishness  to 
the  point  of  cruelty,  I  shall  await  the  death  to  which  you 
condemn  me  in  this  place !  Perhaps  France  may  call  you 
to  account  for  the  loss  of  one  of  her  renowned  sons  ?  " 

"  You  are  very  wrong  to  want  to  die,  doctor." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  die,  sir." 

"  Then  come  with  me." 

"  Never." 

"  It's  suicide,  remember." 

"  So  be  it,  sir." 

"  After  all,  life  is  so  little  worth.  Perhaps  you  are 
right !  Good  bye,  doctor.  Delighted  to  have  made  your 
acquaintance." 

Five  minutes  afterwards  the  tents  were  folded,  the  bag- 
gage was  in  its  place,  and  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  was  giving 
his  orders  for  the  start  of  the  caravan,  with  no  more 
reference  to  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  than  if  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  had 
never  existed.  He  spoke,  and  the  caravan  began  its  march. 
The  last  camel,  and  the  last  men  escorting  it,  were  about 
to  vanish.  The  doctor  uttered  a  piercing  cry,  and  ran 
after  them  with  all  his  might,  wiping  his  forehead,  and 
saying  to  himself, — 

"  This  madman  is  a  savage  !  He  would  leave  me  to 
die  here !" 

The  caravan  halted  at  the  sound  of  his  voice.  Sir 
Thomas,  still  smiling,  and  Magloire,  still  all  graciousness, 
waited  for  him  at  the  rear. 

"  You've  changed  your  mind?"  said  Sir  Thomas. 

"  Yes,"  panted  Quies. 

"  As  you  please." 

"  Oh,  I  was  quite  sure  Monsieur  would  come,"  added 
Magloire,  as  he  helped  the  doctor  to  climb  up  to  his  seat 
upon  the  abhorred  camel. 


1 84 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


Quies  growled, — 

"  The  devil  take  you  !  " 

Presently  he  settled  down  as  best  he  could  on  his  uneasy 
seat  under  his  canvas  covering,  and  resigned  himself  to 
circumstances,  which  obliged  him  to  accompany  Sir 
Thomas  Nicholl ;  but  at  the  same  time  he  firmly  resolved 
to  quit  the  caravan  on  the  earliest  opportunity,  and  esta- 


The  doctor  uttered  a  piercing  cry. 

blish  himself  in  the  first  habitable  place  he  should  arrive  at. 
According  to  Sir  Thomas's  programme  of  travel,  the  first 
town  at  which  he  would  be  able  to  make  arrangements  for 
receiving  his  indispensable  resources  was  Cairo. 

"  I  shall  never  live  to  get  there,"  said  he  to  himself  with 
a  sigh.  Good  God  !  What  have  I  done  ?  What  crime 
have  I  committed  to  deserve  such  a  punishment  ? " 


DR.   J.   B.   QUIES.  185 


CHAPTER  XX. 

SHOWING  HOW  DR.  J.  B.  QUIES  BEGAN  HIS  GREAT  WORK 
ON  THE  UNEXPLORED  TERRITORIES  OF  CENTRAL 
AFRICA. 

How  came  Dr.  Quies,  being  in  such  a  state  of  prostration 
as  he  was,  to  put  his  private  impressions  on  paper  !  It 
would  be  hard  to  tell.  Perhaps  the  explanation  may  be 
found  in  that  prostration  itself,  and  that  the  doctor  was 
driven  to  work  by  the  deadly  ennui  from  which  he 
suffered.  Probably,  too,  Magloire,  by  constantly  talking 
to  him  of  the  results  to  be  expected  from  his  labours,  had 
a  good  deal  to  do  with  his  resolution.  At  any  rate,  I 
shall  transcribe  some  of  the  notes  that  were  to  serve  as  the 
basis  of  the  important  work  in  contemplation. 

"November. — I  cannot  tell  the  precise  date.  I  don't 
know  how  many  days  we  have  been  journeying  through 
this  endless  desert.  Magloire,  whom  I  have  questioned 
on  the  subject,  answered  in  the  gayest  tone,  'It  is  not 
more  than  three  weeks  since  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
finding  Monsieur.'  I  could  have  choked  him.  It  never 
seems  to  occur  to  him  that  I  suffer  horribly.  My  ideas 
are  growing  confused.  I  have  a  burning  sensation  all 
over  me,  which  deprives  me  of  rest.  I  have  a  constant 
singing  in  my  ears,  and  I  am  so  dazzled  by  the  sun  that  I 
can  hardly  see. 

"  I  must  do  Magloire  the  justice  to  say  that  he  has  con- 
structed out  of  canvas  as  perfect  a  shelter  as  can  be  made  to 
cover  me  on  camel-back,  but  no  canvas  avails  against  the 
desert  sun.  Everything  that  I  touch  burns  my  fingers. 


1 86  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

And  I  cannot  tell  when  we  shall  arrive  at  the  end  of  this 
fearful  journey. 

"  Why  do  I  say  '  we '  ?  I  ought  to  say  '  when  they  will 
arrive,'  for  most  certainly  I  am  destined  to  die  here.  I 
shall  be  buried  under  the  sand,  and  there  I  shall  be  dried 
up  like  those  dead  animals  that  Magloire  was  telling  me 
of  only  yesterday  ;  bodies  of  camels  and  men  whose  skin 
is  hardened  by  the  sun,  and  which  are  preserved  from 
decomposition  by  the  fervid  heat.  He  told  me  that  he 
and  his  companions  pelted  these  bodies  with  stones,  which 
rattled  on  them  as  if  they  had  been  drums,  without  doing 
them  any  damage.  I  should  have  liked  to  make  sure  of 
this  phenomenon  by  personal  observation,  and  to  deduce 
the  possible  results  from  it,  regarded  zoologically,  physi- 
cally, and  physiologically  ;  but  the  heat  prevented  me  from 
leaving  my  tent  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl,  however,  would  not 
have  asserted  the  fact  if  it  had  not  been  true.  I  rely  upon- 
his  word,  therefore,  and  accept  the  fact  as  proved. 

.  ...  "I  could  not  point  out  upon  a  map  the  exact 
spot  we  are  in.  I  have  been  several  times  informed  upon 
this  point  by  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  in  the  most  obliging 
manner,  but  I  have  unfortunately  omitted  to  take  a  note 
of  it  immediately,  and  I  have  forgotten  it,  for  indeed  my 
memory  also  seems  to  be  undergoing  a  sort  of  atrophy. 
At  times  I  can  hardly  recall  my  past  life  ;  at  other  times, 
on  the  contrary,  it  recurs  to  me  with  singular  precision  in 
all  its  details.  ...  It  is  great  pain  to  me  to  remember. 
My  present  misfortune  seems  all  the  more  terrible.  I 
cannot  bring  myself  to  believe  that  it  is  not  a  dream.  In 
Africa !  In  the  middle  of  Africa  !  I  ! 

"  One  idea  that  besets  me  is  the  uncertainty  concerning 
the  primary  cause  of  my  misfortune.  How  did  it  happen 
that  on  leaving  Plessis,  where  I  had  just  stood  father  to 
La  Carriole's  little  son,  I  got  into  the  express  train  for 
Marseilles  ?  Why  did  not  Anthime  Bonamy,  who  was 
with  me,  get  into  it  also  ?  Why,  if  he  became  aware  of 
our  mistake  and  my  disappearance,  did  he  do  nothing  to 


DR.    J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


187 


put  me  right  again  ?  Perhaps  this  point  may  be  cleared 
up  in  the  future. 

"  The  future  !  Why  does  this  word  come  so  easily,  so 
often,  to  my  pen  ?  Do  I  not  know  that  there  is  no  future 
for  me  ?  I  shall  succumb  to  this  last  stroke  of  fate  ;  the 
attentions  of  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  and  Magloire  cannot 
prevent  that. 

"  Nothing  can  exceed  their  kindness.  The  tent  reserved 
for  my  use,  and  in  which  I  am  hastily  scribbling  these 
imperfect  notes,  is  the  most  commodious  and  the  best  fitted 


"  One  idea  that  besets  me." 

belonging  to  the  caravan.  I  have  a  table  and  a  camp- 
bed.  I  should  be  almost  comfortable  in  my  tent  if  it  were 
not  for  the  intolerable  heat. 

"  What  an  oddity  this  Sir  Thomas  is  !  Each  morning, 
when  the  grunting  of  the  camels  wakes  me — those  animals 
make  a  prodigious  noise— he  comes  into  my  tent,  asks  me 
how  I  am,  and  never  addresses  another  word  to  me  until 
evening,  when  he  bids  me  good  night. 

"  He  is  entirely  engrossed  with  his  investigation  of  this 
inland  sea.  Madness !  neither  more  nor  less  than 


1 88  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS  OF 

madness !  Nevertheless  I  should  have  liked  to  be  of 
some  use  to  him.  My  extensive  knowledge  of  geography, 
physics,  cosmography,  hydrography,  and  several  other 
sciences,  might  perhaps  have  enabled  me  to  elucidate  some 
doubtful  points  of  the  question.  But  the  heat  forbade.  I 
made  the  attempt  on  one  occasion.  At  his  request  I  dis- 
mounted to  determine  the  barometric  altitude.  It  seems  that 
I  made  a  mistake  of  forty  millimetres.  The  fact  is,  I  could 
not  see,  and,  to  make  things  worse,  I  had  not  covered  my 
face,  and  so  I  got  a  partial  sunstroke.  I  suffered  severely 
from  this  misadventure,  and  resolved  never  again  to 
expose  myself  to  a  similar  accident. 

.  .  .  .  "  Three  days  more !     I  am  going  mad  ! 

"  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  pronounce  upon  the  nature 
of  the  country  through  which  we  pass.  I  have  every 
reason  to  believe  that  we  are  still  in  the  midst  of  the  sand- 
ocean.  Yesterday,  on  putting  my  eye  to  a  chink  in  my 
sheltering  canvas,  I  caught  sight  of  the  immensity  of  the 
desert,  and  all  over  it  lay  a  hot  mist,  which  swayed  like 
smoke  over  a  smouldering  fire.  In  regard  to  our  position 
from  the  geographical  and  physical  point  of  view,  and  to 
the  phenomenon  of  the  mirage  (which  I  should  have  been 
much  pleased  to  observe  for  myself),  I  shall  refer  to  the 
statements  of  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  and  Magloire.  I  shall 
also  consult  upon  these  matters  a  number  of  excellent 
works  which  I  hope  to  find  in  the  library  at  Cairo. 

.  ..."  A  terrible  day !  This  morning — we  had  just 
quitted  the  place  where  we  had  halted  for  the  night,  and 
which  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  indicate  with  precision — I 
was  huddled  up  on  my  camel  (at  first  the  animal's  gait  was 
very  painful  to  me,  but  now  it  rocks  me  to  sleep)  and  I 
slept.  Sleep  is  the  greatest  solace  to  my  misery  that  I 
have  yet  found.  I  was  awakened  by  a  frightful  hubbub  of 
acclamations  and  cries.  My  camel  had  gone  down  on  his 
knees.  I  was  about  to  peep  out  of  my  shelter  to  ascertain 
what  had  happened,  when  I  was  prevented  by  a  whirlwind, 
which  scorched  my  hands  and  face  through  the  canvas. 


DR.   J.    B.   QUlfiS.  189 

Night  had  fallen  suddenly  ;  the  darkness  was  profound.  I 
closed  my  eyes,  and  almost  lost  consciousness.  I  was 
suffocated  ;  the  air  no  longer  reached  my  lungs.  I  cannot 
tell  how  long  this  kind  of  swoon  lasted.  When  it  passed 
off  my  camel  was  again  marching  on,  the  sun  was  again 
darting  its  rays  through  my  miserable  canvas  screen  ;  in 
short,  nothing  was  changed  around  me. 

"In  the  evening,  when  we  halted,  Sir  Thomas  came  as 
usual  to  shake  hands  with  me. 

" '  We've  come  off  very  well,'  said  he  ;  '  I  have  never 
seen  the  simoom  worse  than  it  was  to-day.' 

"  Sir  Thomas  seems  to  take  this  kind  of  thing  as  a 
matter  of  course.  I  don't  think  Magloire  minds  it  either. 
As  for  me,  I  am  completely  done  for.  My  poor  head  is 
in  a  deplorable  state  of  weakness.  Nevertheless,  I  should 
have  liked  to  study  this  fresh  phenomenon — one  of  the 
most  interesting  the  desert  has  to  show.  I  should  have  been 
able,  had  the  state  of  my  health  permitted,  to  record  a  series 
of  meteorological  and  barometrical  observations,  to  co- 
ordinate them,  and  to  draw  very  useful  conclusions  from 
them.  Unfortunately,  as  I  failed  to  secure  a  basis,  I  shall 
be  obliged  to  refer  to  what  has  previously  been  said  and 
written  on  this  point.  I  reserve  to  myself  the  giving  of  a 
character  of  originality  and  individuality  to  the  work 
which  I  propose  to  publish,  in  quite  another  way. 

.  .  .  .  "  Eight  days  since  I  have  been  able  to  write.  I 
do  not  know  how  far  we  have  advanced  into  the  south. 
Every  morning  Magloire  and  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  say  to 
me,  '  We  are  near  the  goal/  What  goal  ?  Neither  one 
nor  the  other  explains  that  point.  I  presume  they  mean 
the  extreme  limit  of  the  desert.  It  would  be  a  great  relief 
to  me  to  see  some  verdure  once  more,  and  to  drink  some 
fresh  water.  My  health  is  giving  way  more  and  more. 
There  is  a  strange  smarting  in  my  eyes,  and  the  singing 
in  my  ears  grows  worse.  I  can  hardly  hear  what 
is  said  to  me,  and  I  no  longer  see  anything  around 
me,  although  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  has  presented  me  with 


190  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF' 

a  pair  of  smoked  spectacles.     He  is  a  perfect  gentleman. 
He  has  placed  his  purse  at  my  disposal  for  the  future. 

"The  future!     Again  I  have  used  that  word! 

"  Ah  !  if  I  do  but  escape  this  time ;  if  I  cross  these 
endless  steppes  without  dying  on  the  road  ;  if  I  reach 
Cairo,  no  power  on  earth,  I  swear,  shall  ever  tear  me 
away. 

"A  town  !  Cairo  is  now  a  European  town.  I  will  settle 
down  there.  I  will  resume  the  thread  of  my  old  habits  and 
studies,  and  I  will  have  my  books  sent  to  me  from  Saint - 
Pignon —  Saint-Pignon  !  Never  again  shall  I  behold 
that  little  corner  of  the  earth  in  which  I  was  so  happy. 
What  has  become  of  them  all  ?  My  poor  Gertrude 
wanders  about  the  house  disconsolately,  and  dusts  my 
books  and  collections  in  preparation  for  my  return,  for  no 
doubt  the  news  sent  by  Sir  Thomas  has  safely  reached  its 
destination.  What  a  commotion  it  must  have  made. 
Quies  in  Africa  !  Worthy  M.  de  Prechafoin  is  counting  the 
days,  I  am  sure.  Anthime  comes  down  the  hill  many  a 
time  to  see  whether  there  is  not  a  carriage  at  the  turn  of 
the  road.  My  cousin  Ragot  has  masses  said  for  me. 
Good  hearts  !  Kind  friends  all  !  We  shall  never  see 
each  other  more.  We  will  write  ;  the  post  was  invented 
for  that  Henri  and  the  Commandant  delight  in  travel- 
ling ;  they  will  come  and  breakfast  with  me  in  the  little 
house  that  I  shall  have  built  for  me  at  Cairo.  That  is  a 
settled  thing,  for  I  shall  most  certainly  never  cross  the  sea 
which  separates  me  from  them  a  second  time.  No,  never  ! 
The  recollection  of  my  first  voyage  is  still — 

.  .  .  .  "  Magloire  has  just  come  to  tell  me  that  we  are 
close  upon  the  edge  of  the  desert,  and  in  twenty-four  hours 
we  shall  see  vegetation  again,  and  find  fresh  water.  This 
good  news  has  restored  my  strength  somewhat.  I  will  go 
and  look  about  me. 

.  ..."  I  was  very  foolish  to  disturb  myself.  Still  the 
same  red-hot  sky,  the  same  boundless  horizon,  except  that 
in  front  of  us  the  ground  is  split  into  ruts,  and  heaped  into 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  191 

hillocks,  as  if  the  sand  had  been  hollowed  out  to  imitate 
mountains  and  ravines.  We  are  about  to  enter  this 
labyrinth,  Magloire  tells  me,  and  at  the  end  of  it  we  shall 
find  coolness,  trees,  life  ! 

"  God  be  praised,  if  indeed  this  be  true  !  I  am  still 
trembling  !  And  yet  I  cannot  pass  over  in  silence  the 
events  of  the  terrible  day  of  the — I  don't  know.  It  ought 
to  be  the  end  of  November,  if  I  have  calculated  rightly. 
But  I  no  longer  answer  for  anything. 

"We  started,  according  to  custom,  a  little  before 
sunrise,  in  the  same  order  as  on  the  preceding  days, 
that  is  to  say,  I  formed,  or  rather  my  camel  formed  the 
rear-guard.  It  was  an  excellent  animal  :  I  had  no  fault 
to  find  with  it,  but  every  reason  to  place  the  utmost  con- 
fidence in  it.  Accordingly,  after  I  had  shaken  hands  with 
Sir  Thomas,  and  said  'good  morning'  to  Magloire,  I  went 
quietly  asleep.  I  don't  know  what  hour  it  was  when  I 
awoke.  The  sun  was  still  very  high  above  the  horizon, 
at  least  so  far  as  I  could  judge  from  the  heat  of  the  rays 
that  came  through  the  canvas,  for,  most  unfortunately,  I 
did  not  look  out,  being  afraid  of  sunstroke.  One  thing, 
however,  surprised  me  ;  my  camel  remained  motionless. 

"  The  caravan  had  halted  then. 

"  I  heard  nothing.  But  I  had  long  been  accustomed  to 
the  silence  of  the  desert.  During  the  hours  of  fearful  and 
overpowering  heat,  men  and  beasts  have  hardly  strength 
to  breathe,  and  utter  neither  word  nor  cry.  I  merely  pre- 
sumed that  Sir  Thomas  had  called  a  halt  in  order  to  give 
a  little  respite  to  his  camels  and  his  negroes,  and  that 
everybody  was  asleep  in  the  tents.  I  had,  besides,  perfect 
confidence  in  him,  and  I  did  not  trouble  myself  about  this 
delay.  I  no  longer  counted  the  hours  that  divided  me 
from  the  goal.  It  was  so  far  off. 

"  Doubled  up  on  my  saddle,  and  with  my  eyes  half  shut, 
I  indulged  in  a  vague  reverie,  like  that  which  precedes  the 
awakening  from  sleep.  No  doubt  I  remained  a  long  time 
in  this  state  of  prostration,  for  it  was  dark  when,  asto- 


192 


THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 


nished  at  the  prolonged  silence,  I  determined  to  look  out 
of  the  aperture  in  my  canvas.  I  perceived  that  my  camel 
was  kneeling,  and  took  advantage  of  that  convenient  atti- 
tude to  slip  down  to  the  ground.  A  cry  of  despair  was 
forced  from  me.  My  camel  was  dying  ! 

"  I  was  alone,  in  one  of  the  sandy  ravines  which  make 
that  part  of  the  desert  a  tortuous  labyrinth.  Strangely 
enough,  I  did  not  at  first  realize  the  gravity  of  my  situa- 
tion. I  only  endeavoured  to  ascertain  what  had  happened 
to  me.  It  was  but  too  clear. 


"  A  cry  of  despair  was  forced  from  me." 

"  My  camel,  being  the  last  on  the  march,  had  availed 
itself  of  a  bend  in  the  road  to  kneel  down  and  wait  for 
death.  The  negroes,  no  doubt,  had  not  missed  it  until 
too  late.  Sir  Thomas  and  Magloire,  being  occupied  in 
the  front  of  the  long  caravan,  had  not  been  informed,  and 
— then  I  understood  it  all  !  Would  they  retrace  their 
steps  ?  If  they  came  back,  were  they  sure  to  follow  the 
same  route  in  this  inextricable  maze  ?  Would  they  find 
me  ? 

"  My  first  idea  was  to  force  my  camel  to  rise,  and  to  get 
him  into  the  track,  along  which  I  could  still  trace  here  and 


DR.   J.    B.    QUlfcS.  193 

there  the  passage  of  the  caravan.  I  took  one  of  the 
sticks  which  supported  my  canvas  cover,  and  rained  blows 
on  the  wretched  animal  ;  but  it  responded  only  by  shrieks 
of  pain.  I  had  no  time  for  pity  ;  my  own  fate  seemed 
hardly  better  than  the  camel's,  and  in  despair  of  reviving 
it  by  a  mere  stick,  I  drew  my  knife  and  ran  the  blade  into 
the  poor  brute's  shoulder.  It  made  a  last  effort,  rose  half- 
way to  its  feet,  then  fell  prone  with  a  dismal  groan,  and 
moved  no  more. 

"  I  had  only  myself  to  rely  upon  for  my  escape,  if 
indeed  there  were  yet  time,  from  the  terrible  danger  with 
which  I  was  threatened  !  Inevitable  death  in  the  midst  of 
this  dreadful  desert!  Death  by  hunger  and  thirst,  for  I 
had  only  a  very  small  quantity  of  provisions,  some  biscuits, 
a  little  rice,  and  half  a  gourd  full  of  water,  so  hot  that  it 
was  almost  undrinkable. 

"  Something  must  be  done. 

"  The  caravan  was  a  day's  journey  in  advance  of  me,  but 
by  walking  all  night  I  might  yet  rejoin  it.  The  prospect 
of  this  forced  march  terrified  me  almost  as  much  as  the 
death  with  which  I  was  threatened.  And  then,  where 
was  I  to  find  the  caravan  ? 

"  The  traces  which  I  had  made  out  were  already 
effaced  by  the  slow  continuous  movement  of  the  sand, 
which  resembles  that  of  the  sea.  I  must  make  for  the 
south.  Yes,  but  amid  these  narrow  crevasses  the  direction 
of  the  road  changes  perpetually.  I  should  run  the  risk  of 
losing  myself  by  leaving  the  spot  at  which  my  camel  had 
fallen,  and  whither  my  friends  might,  perhaps,  come  to 
look  for  me. 

"I  made  up  my  mind,  then,  to  remain  where  I  \\as, 
even  if  death  should  overtake  me  there.  But  I  thought  it 
well  to  make  a  last  effort  to  ascertain  the  nature  of  the 
surrounding  ground,  and  to  examine  the  horizon.  Perhaps 
I  might  perceive  a  drift  of  smoke,  or  a  glimmer  of  light  ; 
perhaps  I  might  hear  a  sound  ;  it  might  be  that  I  was  still 
within  hearing  of  the  caravan.  I  climbed  with  some  diffi- 
13 


194 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


culty  one  of  the  sand-hills  by  which  I  was  surrounded  ; 
but  so  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  there  was  nothing  to  be 
seen  but  sand-hills  like  the  one  I  stood  on.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  I  was  gazing  upon  a  vast  expanse  of  yellowish 
sea,  suddenly  solidified,  while  the  waves  retained  their  size 
and  form. 

"  I  shouted  with  all  the  strength  of  my  lungs  ;  but  my 


"  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  was  gazing  upon  a  vast  expanse  of  yellowish  sea." 

voice  was  lost  in  the  mysterious  depths  of  the  desert.  I 
listened,  but  nothing  was  to  be  heard  ;  not  a  sound,  not  a 
breath !  And  the  night  was  coming ! — the  night  had 
come ! 

"  In  despair  I  came  down  from  the  sand-hill.  Had  no- 
body perceived  my  absence  ?  or,  terrible  to  think  of,  had 
Sir  Thomas,  being  short  of  provisions  and  water,  been 
obliged  in  consideration  of  the  general  interest,  to  abstain 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  195 

from  lengthening  that  perilous  journey  by  one  day?  He 
had  abandoned  me !  The  great  anguish  which  the  con- 
viction carried  with  it,  made  me  aware  that  I  valued  life 
more  highly  than  I  believed  myself  to  value  it.  I  made  a 
last  attempt  to  rouse  my  poor  camel  from  its  immobility  : 
a  vain  effort,  indeed,  for  the  creature  was  dead. 

"  I  was  seized  with  a  convulsive  trembling.  I  was  afraid. 
Tears  came  to  my  eyes — I  don't  think  there  is  any  shame 
in  confessing  this — and  then  I  fell  into  a  lethargic 
slumber.  From  time  to  time  hallucinations  came  to  me  ; 
strange  forms  arose  and  danced  about  me.  My  pulses 
beat  madly  ;  I  heard  the  sound  of  my  blood  in  my  temples, 
my  heart,  all  over  my  body  !  It  was  like  the  blows  of  a 
hammer,  and  became  more  and  more  painful  every 
moment.  Death  was  coming  very  near  ! 

"  With  my  last  ray  of  reason  I  had  commended  my  soul 
to  God,  and  made  confession  to  Him  of  my  sins,  when  it 
seemed  to  me  that  I  heard  a  voice  in  the  distance  cry, — 

"'  Doctor!' 

"  Was  I  dreaming  ? 

"  I  tried  to  answer.     Impossible  ! 

"  '  If  I  am  not  dreaming,'  I  thought, '  I  am  saved  !  They 
are  looking  for  me !  They  are  near !  But  I  cannot  raise 
my  voice,  they  will  pass  by  without  seeing  me ! " 

"  While  this  dreadful  apprehension  was  in  my  mind,  I 
heard  a  shot.  Impossible  to  reply  to  it !  I  had  not  a 
gun.  And  if  I  had  had — 

"  Of  all  the  tortures  I  have  suffered  since  I  entered  upon 
this  series  of  incredible  adventures,  this  was  the  most 
agonizing.  To  have  only  to  utter  a  cry  in  order  to  save 
my  life,  and  to  be  unable  to  get  out  a  sound  ! 

"  I  made  a  last,  a  supreme  effort,  and  instead  of  the  cry 
which  I  strove  to  utter,  I  heard  two  !  One  proceeded 
from  Magloire,  the  other  from  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl. 

"'He!' 

"  '  It  is  he  ! ' 

"  I  could  not  have  believed  that  in  so  few  days  friend- 


196 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


ship  could  have  struck  such  deep  roots  in  men's  hearts. 
They  rejoiced  over  me  as  though  we  had  lived  side  by  side 
for  twenty  years.  Ah  !  in  those  vast  solitudes  men  realize 
the  value  of  a  word  exchanged,  of  a  hand-grip,  or  a  smile, 
as  they  never  can  realize  it  in  towns.  They  hoisted  me 
up  on  a  camel,  and  settled  me  comfortably.  By  the  even- 
ing we  had  rejoined  the  caravan. 

.  ..."  I  feel  better  ;    my  head  is  less  confused.      Ma- 


"  I  made  a  last,  a  supreme  effort,  and  instead  of  the  cry  which  I  strove  to 
utter,  I  heard  two  ! " 

gloire's  care  has  been  rewarded  with  success.  I  don't  know 
what  he  made  me  take.  He  is  an  invaluable  fellow,  and 
it  is  a  great  pity  that  his  head  is  a  little —  The  first 
words  of  his  that  I  heard  distinctly  were :  '  It  is  not  at 
Saint- Pignon  that  Monsieur  would  have  experienced  such 
emotions  !  Ah,  travel  is  a  fine  thing  ! '  Such  a  sentiment 
could  not  emanate  from  a  sane  mind. 

"  Travel !     Oh,  the  horrors  of  travel ! 

"  I  greatly  regret,  however,  that  my  disastrous  fortune 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


197 


should  have  prevented  me  from  taking  some  notes  upon 
the  configuration  of  the  ground  and  the  atmospheric  phe- 
nomena while  crossing  the  desert.  I  shall  be  obliged  to 
rely  upon  the  numerous  documents  dealing  with  these 
matters  which  are  no  doubt  in  existence.  Besides,  I  have 
the  consolation  of  knowing  that  to-morrow  we  enter  upon 
an  explored  region.  Sir  Thomas,  who  continues  to  be 
all  that  is  kind  and  good,  and  whom  I  regard  as  an  old 
friend,  tells  me  that  we  are  to  cross  the  Soudan  from  the 
north-west  to  the  south-east. 

"  It  is  my  intention  to  take  copious  and  exact  notes  from 
every  point  of  view,  in  order  to  associate  my  name  with 
the  history  of  the  African  continent." 

We  are  reluctantly  obliged  to  relate  that  the  doctor  was 
unable  to  carry  out  this  intention.  On  the  day  after  his 
deplorable  adventure  he  was  taken  so  seriously  ill  that  for 
a  while  Sir  Thomas  and  Magloire  despaired  of  his  recovery. 
For  six  weeks  poor  Ouies  lay  in  his  bed,  delirious  ;  but  he 
was  fortunately  one  of  those  persons  who  live  to  be  a 
hundred,  and  he  did  not  die. 

He  was,  indeed,  destined  to  further  trials,  which  will 
form  the  subject  of  the  next  chapter  and  several  of  its 
successors. 


198  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SHOWS  THAT  IF  CRIME  IS  SOMETIMES  PUNISHED,  VIRTUE 
IS   NOT   INVARIABLY   REWARDED. 

ALTHOUGH  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  had  discharged  some  of 
his  camel-drivers  on  emerging  from  the  desert,  properly 
so  called,  and  retained  only  the  actually  necessary  atten- 
dants, there  were  still  four  strong  negroes  at  the  service  of 
Quies.  They  carried  him  on  a  litter,  and  thus  the  second 
portion  of  his  involuntary  pilgrimage  was,  notwithstanding 
his  illness,  much  less  fatiguing  than  the  first. 

From  the  beginning  of  December  his  condition  improved, 
but  it  was  not  until  the  end  of  the  month  that  he  recovered 
the  full  possession  of  his  senses. 

One  morning  he  opened  his  eyes,  looked  at  Sir  Thomas 
Nicholl  and  Magloire,  who  were  sitting  by  his  bed,  and 
said  in  a  fayit  voice, — 

"  We  have  at  rived  ? " 

"  Not  quite  yet,  doctor,"  answered  Magloire. 

No  doubt  this  reply  made  itself  very  plain  and  clear 
to  his  intelligence,  and  revived  all  the  recollections  of  his 
past  misfortunes,  for  he  closed  his  eyes  once  more,  lay 
down  again,  and  never  stirred  for  forty-eight  hours. 
Health  was,  however,  coming  back  to  him,  and  with 
health  a  more  reasonable  perception  of  things.  He 
reflected  that  science  had  a  claim  upon  him,  and  he 
regarded  it  as  a  duty  to  get  up.  He  had  passed  the 
greater  part  of  his  convalescence  in  his  bed,  and  on  the 
first  day  was  able  to  remain  up  for  some  hours.  The 
following  day  his  smiling  face  had  recovered  the  florid 


DR.  J.   B.  QUlfcS.  199 

tints  of  former  times,  and  his  intellect  all  its  lucidity.  He 
might  now  resume  the  course  of  his  studies  without  any 
danger  to  his  health,  and  go  on  with  those  interesting 
notes  of  which  we  have  given  a  sample. 

The  little  troop  had  reached  the  White  Nile,  a  few 
leagues  above  Khartoum,  and  were  travelling  along  the 
left  bank  of  the  river  through  a  forest  of  reeds  of  extra- 
ordinary height,  in  which  both  men  and  animals  were 
completely  hidden. 

Quies  decided  that  the  moment  was  not  favourable  to  a 
personal  exploration.  He  would  evidently  be  in  danger 
of  losing  his  way.  Perhaps,  owing  to  his  habitual  laziness, 
he  was  not  ill-pleased  ;  all  the  more  that  by  standing  on 
tiptoe  he  could  see,  beyond  the  dense  forest  they  were  in, 
a  second  forest  equally  dense,  from  whence  the  roar  of 
wild  beasts  in  general,  and  of  lions  in  particular,  pro- 
ceeded. 

Owing  to  the  vicinity  of  these  forests,  and  especially  to 
the  proximity  of  the  river,  he  suffered  much  less  from  the 
heat,  and  began  to  put  sundry  questions  to  Sir  Thomas, 
who,  having  attained  his  object  and  laid  out  his  plans,  was 
willing  to  listen  to  him. 

Hence,  greater  precision  and  more  detail  in  the  doctor's 
notes,  as  any  one  who  reads  his  great  book  on  Central 
Africa  may  observe — that  is  to  say,  if  he  has  published  it. 
After  a  long  day's  march  among  the  reeds,  the  aspect 
of  the  country   changed.     The  little  caravan  moved  under 
a  verdant   canopy,    in   the    midst   of  profuse    vegetation 
untouched  by  the  axe.     All  the  wonders  of  the  botanical 
world    seemed   to   be  represented   there  ;    lianas  of  every 
kind  were  twined,  like  huge  serpents,  around  prodigious 
trees,  whose  interlaced  branches  were  mingled  in  a  lavish 
profusion  so  far  as  the  eye  could  see.     The  sun,  stealing 
into  these  perfumed  depths,    amid  which  strange  bright 
birds  called  to  each  other,  cast  almost  fantastic  gleams 
upon  them. 

This  time  the  lazy   doctor  almost  failed  to  resist  the 


200  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

temptation,  when  Sir  Thomas  and  Magloire  proposed  to 
him  to  make  an  expedition  into  those  vast  solitudes.  It 
was,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  only  a  question  of  an  excursion  of 
a  few  hours'  duration,  and  that  was,  to  say  the  least  of  it, 
a  very  slight  sacrifice  to  make  to  the  demands  of  his  future 
fame.  He  equipped  himself  with  a  gun,  a  revolver,  and  a 
hatchet,  weapons  with  which  he  was  not  familiar,  but 
which  he  might  find  himself  obliged  to  use.  He  also 
took  a  geologist's  hammer,  a  botanical  case — or  rather 
the  botanical  case  -  and  a  travelling-bag,  which  he  owed 
to  the  generosity  of  Sir  Thomas.  It  was  with  a  deep  sigh 
that  he  said, — 

'•  I  am  ready." 

"  Let  us  start,  then,"  replied  Magloire  and  Sir  Thomas 
simultaneously. 

But  he  had  not  gone  twenty  steps  from  the  camp  before 
he  was  seized  with  cramps  of  unheard-of  severity  in  his  legs, 
and  strange  stings  in  the  soles  of  his  feet.  He  declared  that 
these  were  the  results  of  his  illness,  and  declined  to  proceed. 
Magloire  shrugged  his  shoulders  disdainfully,  muttering,— 

"The  doctor  is  jesting.  It  is  impossible  that  a  tra- 
veller of  the  doctor's  stamp  should  stop  short  for  so 
little." 

Sir  Thomas  merely  held  out  his  hand  to  Quies. 

"  As  you  please,  my  dear  doctor.  Take  care  of  the 
baggage,  and  keep  your  eye  on  the  niggers.  They  are  a 
thieving  crew,  and  it  is  well  to  mistrust  them  ?  " 

This  speech,  had  he  been  capable  of  hesitation,  would 
have  made  Quies  resolve  to  stay  behind.  His  presence  at 
the  camp  seemed  to  him  to  be  absolutely  indispensable  to 
the  general  safety.  He  turned  to  the  right,  and  regained 
the  thicket  in  which  the  camels  and  their  drivers  were 
sleeping,  while  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  and  Magloire  disap- 
peared in  the  depths  of  the  forest. 

The  spot  was  a  propitious  one  for  repose  and  quiet 
meditation.  Situated  on  the  edge  of  the  forest,  close  to 
the  river,  from  which  it  was  separated  only  by  a  wide  strip 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  201 

of  sand,  it  afforded  a  secure  shelter  from  the  rays  of  the 
sun,  without  concealing  the  vast  expanse  of  wooded  country 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Nile. 

Quies,  who  was  delighted  to  have  capitulated  with  his 
conscience  in  a  way  for  which  nobody  could  blame  him, 
lay  down  in  the  delicious  shade,  with  his  head  on  a 
package,  and  his  hands  folded  placidly  upon  his  stomach, 
fell  asleep  and  dreamed  that  he  was  a  pasha,  lord  and 
master  of  a  splendid  palace.  He  was  dressed  in  a  rich 
oriental  costume,  wore  a  turban,  and  lay  upon  soft 
cushions  ;  on  his  right  was  Anthime  Bonamy,  who  filled 
the  onerous  office  of  Prime  Minister  to  his  Highness  ;  on 
his  left  was  Gertrude,  on  whom  the  administration  of  the 
household  devolved  ;  and  behind  him,  his  cousin  Ragotand 
her  six  daughters,  who  were  dressed  as  odalisques,  and 
formed  the  corps  de  ballet. 

Loud  cries  awoke  him  from  this  vision  of  bliss.  He 
arose  in  all  haste,  and  mechanically  laid  hold  of  his  gun, 
ready  to  face  the  impending  danger  as  well  as  he  could. 
To  his  great  surprise,  he  found  himself  surrounded  by  Sir 
Thomas's  negroes,  who  were  kneeling  on  the  ground,  beat- 
ing their  breasts,  kissing  the  ground,  and  uttering  heart- 
rending cries. 

J.  B.  Quies,  albeit  a  member  of  several  learned  societies, 
was  not  acquainted  with  a  single  one  of  the  fourteen  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  eighty-five  languages  that  are 
spoken  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and  consequently  was  totally  unable  to  question  these 
poor  fellows  ;  he  could  only  follow  the  gaze  of  their  wild, 
despairing  eyes.  That,  however,  was  enough  to  make 
him  understand  to  some  extent  the  cause  of  their  cries 
and  gestures. 

Hardly  fifty  paces  away,  on  the  strip  of  sand  that 
bordered  the  Nile,  he  beheld  a  man  in  the  uniform  of  the 
regular  troops  of  the  Viceroy  of  Egypt.  This  individual 
was  escorting  a  convoy,  consisting  of  a  dozen  negroes  and 
negresses,  manacled  one  to  the  other,  and  kept  one  behind 


2O2 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


the  other  by  means  of  long  sticks  in  the  shape  of  pronged 
forks  which  held  them  by  the  neck. 

These  unfortunate  cieatures  were  evidently  exhausted 
with  fatigue,  and  their  bodies,  wasted  by  privation  and 
ill-treatment,  were  streaked  with  blood.  Behind  them 
walked  four  youths  who  had  not  been  tied  together,  and 
at  the  moment  when  Quies  turned  his  eyes  in  its  direction 
the  convoy  halted.  The  youths  refused  to  go  on,  in  spite 
of  the  blows  of  the  kurbash  which  their  driver  showered 
upon  them.  A  woman,  who  was  fastened  into  the  yoke 


And  flung  herself  upon  the  brutal  soldier. 

just  before  them,  their  mother,  no  doubt,  uttered  a  howl  of 
rage  and  grief  at  each  blow  that  fell  upon  their  shrinking 
flesh,  and  her  cries  were  echoed  by  Sir  Thomas  NichoH's 
negroes. 

Who  were  these  wretched  creatures  ?  By  what  right 
did  that  man  drag  them  along  in  this  horrible  manner  ? 
Were  they  malefactors  ?  What  had  they  done  to  justify 
such  vile  treatment  ?  While  putting  these  questions  to 
himself,  Quies  had  come  out  of  his  verdant  shelter,  gun 
in  hand,  and  he  walked  up  to  the  soldier  and  addressed  him. 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


203 


"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  whoever  may  have  placed  you  in  charge 
of  these  poor  negroes,  he  cannot  have  authorized  you  to 
treat  them  thus  cruelly.  The  eternal  laws  of  humanity 
forbid  you  to  do  so.  You  are  behaving  like  a — " 

He  could  not  find  the  right  word  ;  disgust  and  indigna- 
tion almost  choked  him.  It  would  be  a  great  mistake  for 
any  one  to  imagine  that  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  with  all  his  appa- 
rent egoism,  was  impervious  to  humane  and  generous 
sentiments. 


Dr.  Quies,  in  a  transport  of  rage,  put  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder  and  fired. 

We  cannot  say  so  much  for  the  soldier  in  charge  of  the 
convoy  of  black  prisoners.  He  flung  a  half-scornful,  half- 
indifferent  glance  at  the  doctor,  and  raising  the  stock  of 
his  gun,  he  brought  it  down  with  such  violence  upon  one 
of  the  boys  that  it  split  his  skull.  This  time  the  mother 
uttered  no  cry;  ^vith  a  desperate  effort  she  burst  the 
withes  which  bound  her  to  the  forked  yoke,  and  flung  her- 
self upon  the  brutal  soldier,  who  threw  her  off  in  a  moment 
with  a  blow  in  the  chest.  He  raised  his  weapon  ;  he  was 
about  to  strike  ;  the  fate  of  the  mother  would  have  been 


2O4  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

the  same  as  that  of  the  child,  when  Dr.  Ouies,  in  a  trans- 
port of  rage,  put  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder  and  fired.  The 
soldier  dropped  upon  the  sand,  struggled  for  a  moment, 
and  then  moved  no  more. 

On  the  instant  Sir  Thomas's  negroes  dashed  out  of  the 
forest,  and  having  loosened  the  bonds  of  their  captive 
brethren  with  incredible  rapidity,  began  to  dance  wildly 
with  them,  uttering  loud  cries  of  joy.  Quies  was  in  their 
eyes  a  god.  The  prisoners,  notwithstanding  their  fatigue, 
were  about  to  plunge  into  the  trackless  forest,  where  death 
in  its  most  terrible  shape  would  probably  await  them,  when 
a  white  man  suddenly  appeared  on  the  scene,  and  with  a 
flourish  of  the  whip  which  he  carried  made  them  lie  down. 
He  then  tranquilly  tied  them  all  up  again,  and  administered 
to  each  a  terrific  flogging  with  his  kurbash. 

This  done,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  soldier,  lifted 
up  his  head,  and,  seeing  that  he  was  dead,  took  a  revolver 
out  of  his  belt,  and  would  no  doubt  have  used  it  to  the 
great  detriment  of  our  friend  Quies,  if  Magloire,  arriving 
in  the  nick  of  time,  had  not  struck  up  the  weapon. 

"  Bei  Gott !  "  exclaimed  the  unknown,  and  coolly  ex- 
tended his  arm  with  intent  to  fire  again.  But  Magloire 
did  not  give  him  time  ;  he  seized  him,  and  wrenched  the 
revolver  from  his  grasp.  The  white  man,  enraged  at  having 
found  his  master,  made  his  formidable  whip  resound  upon 
the  ribs  of  the  unhappy  negroes,  and  drove  them  on  before 
him. 

The  convoy  had  just  disappeared  when  Sir  Thomas 
rejoined  Magloire  and  the  doctor. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  he  asked. 

In  a  few  words  the  situation  was  explained  to  him. 

"  It  is  very  fortunate,"  said  he,  "  that  these  impass- 
able woods  refused  us  passage  through  them,  and  that  -we 
were  obliged  to  give  up  our  excursion.  You  ran  the  risk, 
my  dear  sir,  of  passing  an  extremely  unpleasant  quarter 
of  an  hour  with  that  worthy  trader  of  the  White  Nile !  " 

"  Trader  ? " 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


2O5 


"  Yes,  indeed  ;  and  I  do  not  conceal  from  you  that  it 
may  prove  unfortunate  that  you  yielded  to  your  legitimate 
impulse  of  anger  and  pity." 


"  What !     You  regret  that—" 


"  Yes,  I  do  ;  and  you  will  understand  why.     The  largest 


Magloire,  arriving  in  the  nick  of  time,  struck  up  the  weapon. 

gains  of  the  Nile  traders  proceed  from  the  sale  of  negroes 
whom  they  send  into  the  Mohammedan  countries.  Their 
ostensible  trade  is  in  ivory  only,  and  they  keep  their 
abominable  traffic  secret.  The  functionaries  at  Khartoum 
know  all  about  it.  Their  duty  would  be  to  put  an  end  to 
it,  if  the  Khedive's  Government  gave  them  orders  to  do  so  ; 


206  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

but  they  make  a  much  better  thing  of  pocketing  the  money 
which  they  receive  from  the  dealers  on  each  sale  than  of 
reckoning  on  salaries  paid  with  the  utmost  irregularity. 
Therefore  they  secretly  protect  the  persons  whom  they 
ought  to  hunt  out  and  prosecute.  Don't  you  now  see  that 
it  would  have  been  better  if  you  had  let  this  batch  of 
negroes  pass  without  meddling  with  it ;  more  especially  as 
you  have  killed  a  soldier  of  the  regular  army." 

"  But  you  acknowledge  yourself  that  he — " 

"  Ought  to  have  fought  for  and  not  against  you.  Quite 
true  ;  but  you  will  not  find  in  all  Khartoum  an  official  who 
will  blame,  or  who  would  have  punished  him." 

"  That  is  abominable." 

"  I  entirely  agree  with  you.  But  so  it  is,  and  I  only 
hope  that  we  shall  not  get  into  trouble  about  the  matter. 
Fortunately,  I  am  an  English  subject,  and  my  Consul — " 

"  I  am  a  Frenchman,  Sir  Thomas,  and  mine — " 

"  I  advise  you  to  inform  him  of  the  facts  immediately  on 
our  arrival." 

Let  us  record,  to  the  doctor's  credit,  that  apprehension 
of  the  possible  consequences  of  his  act  did  not  inspire  him 
with  the  slightest  remorse.  His  only  regret  was  that  he  had 
not  been  able  to  rescue  the  unhappy  slaves  whom  an  adven- 
turer was  about  to  sell  like  beasts  of  burden,  in  defiance  of 
laws  human  and  divine.  He  was  also  suffering  from  great 
fatigue,  arising  from  his  violent  exertions  and  expenditure 
of  strength  ;  so  that  immediately  after  the  evening  meal, 
he  lay  down  peacefully,  and  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just  until 
sunrise. 

Two  days  afterwards  he  was  at  Khartoum.  The  capital 
of  the  Egyptian  Soudan  hardly  deserved  at  that  time  the 
name  of  a  town.  Like  many  more  or  less  important  settle- 
ments on  the  Nile,  it  consisted — with  the  exception  of  the 
three  or  four  buildings  occupied  by  the  consuls — of  an 
assemblage  of  little  square  houses  with  such  small  apertures 
that  from  a  distance  they  had  the  appearance  of  gigantic 
paving-stones  with  slits  cut  in  them.  But  under  the 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


2O7 


dazzling  light  of  the  eternally  blue  sky,  and  fronting  the 
mighty  Nile  which  rolls  majestically  beneath  it,  Khartoum 
looked  fair  and  lovely,  like  a  swan  upon  the  water's 
edge. 

Besides,  the  traveller  is  also  disposed  to  admiration 
when,  after  a  long  journey  in  the  desert,  he  is  suddenly 
confronted  by  a  group  of  houses,  however  ugly  they  may 
be,  because  there  comes  with  the  sight  of  them  the  hope  of 
finding  human  beings  to  talk  to.  Not  that  the  people  of 


Khartoum. 

Khartoum,  when  closely  observed,  are  greatly  superior  to 
the  houses,  as  Dr.  Quies  had  good  reason  to  know. 

Immediately  on  the  arrival  of  the  party  at  Khartoum, 
the  doctor,  acting  on  the  advice  of  Sir  Thomas,  went  to 
the  French  Consulate,  but  failed  to  see  the  Consul,  who 
was  absent,  and  not  expected  to  return  until  the  following 
day.  Quies,  notwithstanding  the  remarks  of  his  travelling 
companions,  thought  himself  safe  in  the  midst  of  a  town 
inhabited  by  people  from  all  countries,  Egyptians,  Euro- 
peans, Arabs,  &c.,  and  was  confident  that  if  any  accident 


2O8  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

should  arise,  he  would  have  the  assistance  of  persons  of 
his  own  colour.  In  this  pleasantly-trustful  mood  he  pro- 
ceeded to  walk  about  the  town  on  leaving  the  Consulate 
and  before  rejoining  Sir  Thomas,  in  search  of  subjects  for 
his  note-book. 

He  had  just  remarked  a  particularly  interesting  fact, 
and  was  in  the  act  of  taking  out  his  pencil,  when  he  found 
himself  face  to  face  with  the  German  man-stealer  who  had 
threatened  him  with  his  revolver  two  days  previously. 
Quies  made  a  very  wry  face,  and  turned  aside,  but  the 
German  put  himself  across  his  path,  and  laid  hold  of  him 
by  the  lappel  of  his  jacket.  The  doctor  tried  unsuccess- 
fully to  throw  off  his  hold,  and  was  promptly  dragged  by 
his  captor,  who  did  not  utter  a  single  word,  to  the  door  of 
a  large  building  not  far  off.  The  German  forced  his  cap- 
tive to  enter,  and  followed  him  into  the  palace — we  will 
use  that  word  so  as  to  avoid  giving  offence — of  Biboul 
Bey,  Governor-General  of  the  Egyptian  Soudan. 

It  is  possible  that  on  the  closest  investigation  of  the 
archives  of  his  Highness  the  Khedive  the  name  of  Biboul 
Bey  will  no  more  be  found  there  than  the  name  of  Saint- 
Pignon  les  Girouettes  will  be  found  on  the  map  of  France. 
The  fact  is  that  we  are  desirous  to  avoid  giving  rise 
to  contention,  and  therefore  withhold  the  real  name  of 
the  personage  whom  we  are  about  to  introduce.  The 
Eastern  Question,  which  has  already  lasted  two  thousand 
four  hundred  and  twenty  years,  seven  months,  twelve  days 
and  several  minutes,  is  still  in  suspense,  and  it  would 
be  a  source  of  lasting  remorse  to  us  if  we  were  to  arouse 
the  sleeping  dog.  So  far  as  we  are  concerned  it  shall  "be 
let  lie. 

Biboul  Bey  was,  then,  a  functionary  who  took  his  func- 
tions seriously,  so  long  as  it  was  not  his  interest  to  take 
them  otherwise.  Now,  as  Herr  Popp,  the  German  dealer 
in  ivory,  who  contrived  to  realize  several  hundred  thousand 
francs  every  twelve  months  by  the  sale  of  four  elephants' 
tusks  in  the  year,  regularly  paid  him  a  premium  of 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  209 

twelve  thousand  francs,  no  sooner  was  Herr  Popp  in 
question  than  the  said  Biboul  Bey  forgot  that  he  was  in 
the  service  of  his  Highness  the  Khedive,  and  acted 
accordingly. 

Biboul  was  a  stout,  common-looking  little  man,  with 
thin  lips,  a  quick  eye,  and  a  short  black  beard.  He  cut 
so  mean  a  figure  on  horseback  that  he  never  visited  the 
outlying  parts  of  the  territory  under  his  rule,  but  con- 
tented himself  with  administering  justice  in  his  palace  at 
Khartoum. 

He  was  an  effendi  (or  learned  person)  in  the  full  accep- 
tation of  the  word.  He  spoke  French,  German,  Russian, 
Romaic,  Italian,  Spanish,  and  several  other  languages, 
almost  fluently.  We  say  "  almost,"  because,  as  he  knew 
only  a  few  words  of  those  languages,  he  spoke  them  all 
at  once,  and  this  lent  to  his  conversation  a  charming 
originality  which,  however,  we  are,  to  our  great  regret, 
obliged  to  suppress,  in  order  to  render  the  examination  of 
Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  by  this  high  and  mighty  personage  intel- 
ligible. 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  it  is  stated  by  Herr  Popp,  here  present, 
one  of  the  richest  merchants  of  this  city,  that  you  have 
taken  the  life  of  one  of  his  Highness's  soldiers." 

"Allow  me,  sir.  In  a  moment  of  anger,  which  I 
regret — " 

"You  regret  it  ?  That  is  not  enough.  If  the  uniform 
of  his  Highness's  soldiers  does  not  protect  them  against 
Europeans,  the  natives,  it  stands  to  reason — " 

"  The  soldier—" 

"  The  soldier,  sir,  was  he,  or  was  he  not,  in  uniform  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  but  he  threatened  me." 

"  Since  he  was  in  uniform  I  do  not  require  to  know 
anything  more.  He  was  accountable  to  his  superiors  only 
for  his  acts.  Now,  since  you  have  killed  him,  I  cannot 
question  him." 

"  I  killed  him,  sir,  because — " 

"  You  admit  it,  then  ?  " 
14 


2IO 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


"  I  have  never  denied  it." 

"  Since  you  admit  the  fact,  an  examination  is  superfluous." 

"  Nevertheless,  sir- — " 

"  The  laws  of  a    civilized    country,  as    you    ought    to 


Four  soldiers  entered. 

know,  are  made  for  everybody ;  and  you  who  are  a 
Frenchman — " 

"  Yes,  sir,  a  Frenchman,"  said  Quies,  drawing  himself  up, 
"  and  the  French  Consul — " 

"The  French  Consul  has  never  lent  his  support  to 
murderers." 


DR.   J.    B.   QUlfcS. 


21  I 


"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it.  But  I  think,  when  he 
is  aware  of  the  facts,  which  I  intend  to  explain  to 
him—" 

"  The  French  Consul  is  absent.  Justice  has  not  time  to 
wait,  sir;  and  I  am  obliged  to  proceed  at  once." 

So  speaking,  the  upright  Biboul  Eey  made  a  signal, 
which  was  immediately  obeyed.  Four  soldiers  entered, 
two  of  them  took  up  a  position  in  front  of  Quies,  and  two 
behind  him  ;  the  latter  drove  him  on  before  them,  and  in 
this  order  they  marched  him  off,  without  re-entering  the 
town,  to  a  place  where  a  caravan  destined  for  Cairo  was 
preparing  to  start. 

The  doctor  endeavoured  to  protest,  then  tried  to  escape. 
Both  attempts  were  equally  vain. 

That  same  evening,  ere  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl,  who 
had  been  apprised  of  his  fresh  misfortune,  could  come 
to  his  aid,  the  unhappy  doctor  was  on  his  way  to  the 
capital  of  Egypt ;  but  before  reaching  Cairo  he  would  have 
to  cross  the  terrible  desert  of  Korosko. 


212  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
C  3  D. 

IT  was  not  without  a  good  reason  that  Biboul  Bey  had 
expedited  the  departure  of  his  prisoner.  He  reckoned 
upon  the  doctor's  not  arriving  safe  and  sound  at  the  end 
of  his  journey.  The  desert  has  many  secrets  committed 
every  year  to  its  keeping,  which. nobody  asks  it  to  render 
up. 

Now,  Biboul  Bey  had  a  great  secret  on  his  conscience. 
His  transactions  with  Herr  Popp  were  of  a  nature  to 
bring  about  his  immediate  dismissal. 

The  best  means  to  avoid  this  was  to  render  all  inquiry 
impossible  by  suppressing  the  chief  witness  in  the  pre- 
sent case.  It  was  true  that  what  Quies  could  not  tell, 
Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  could  ;  but  Biboul  Bey,  who  was 
much  more  cunning  than  he  looked,  had  counted  upon 
the  national  selfishness  of  the  English,  who  never  will- 
ingly act  except  for  a  fellow-countryman.  Quies  was  a 
Frenchman.  Sir  Thomas  could  not  have  any  interest  of 
his  own  to  serve  by  meddling  in  the  doctor's  affairs,  and 
would  proceed  on  his  journey  without  troubling  himself 
about  so  trifling  an  incident.  In  this  calculation  Biboul 
Bey  was  egregiously  mistaken.  Not  only  had  Sir  Thomas 
Nicholl  become  sincerely  attached  to  the  doctor,  but  the 
title  of  "savant"  was  equivalent  in  his  eyes  to  a  certifi- 
cate of  cosmopolitanism.  Aid  and  protection  were  due 
to  its  bearer.  Therefore,  as  Quies  did  not  make  his 
appearance,  Sir  Thomas,  scenting  some  mischief  on  the 
part  of  Popp  and  the  Egyptian  authorities,  immediately 


DR.  J.   B.  QUlfcS. 


2I3 


invoked  the  aid  of  the  French  and  English  Consuls,  who 
placed  themselves  at  his  disposal,  and  at  once  summoned 
Biboul  Bey  to  give  up  his  prisoner. 

Biboul  entrenched  himself  behind  the  self-evident  truth 
that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  give  up  that  which  he 
had  not  retained.  He  made  no  difficulty  about  admit- 
ting that  he  had  sent  the  subject  of  this  peremptory 
demand  to  Cairo  by  slow  stages.  He  made  voluble  excuses 
and  protestations  of  regret,  which  did  not  impose  upon 


From  Khartoum  to  Cairo. 

either  Sir  Thomas  or  the  consuls,  and  declared  his  ardent 
desire  to  repair  the  unfortunate  error  into  which  he  had 
fallen.  An  official  note,  in  which  his  declarations  were 
repeated,  and  the  immediate  liberation  of  the  person  who 
had  been  arrested  by  his  order  was  demanded,  was  exacted 
from  the  estimable  functionary,  and  Sir  Thomas,  having 
warmly  thanked  the  consuls,  and  taken  a  frigid  leave  of' 
Biboul,  made  all  haste  to  depart,  furnished  with  the  pre- 
cious document.  His  object  was  to  arrive  at. Cairo  before 
the  caravan  if  possible,  so  as  to  save  the  unfortunate 


214  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

doctor  from  the  evils  which  might  befall  him,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  depositions  of  the  soldiers  in  charge 
of  him. 

Although  the  route  was  lengthened  quite  a  third  by 
following  the  windings  of  the  Nile,  Sir  Thomas  hoped  to 
gain  upon  the  caravan,  slowly  toiling  through  the  desert 
of  Korosko,  by  his  light  craft.  He  therefore  freighted  a 
dozen  small  boats,  and  started  on  his  river  voyage  two 
days  after  the  doctor's  departure. 

He  had  lost  one  whole  day — all  his  preparations  being 
made — in  seeking  his  servant  Magloire,  who  had  dis- 
appeared. 

Biboul  Bey,  being  questioned  respecting  the  man,  had 
sworn  on  every  chapter  in  the  Koran  that  he  knew 
nothing  of  him,  that  the  servant  of  the  honourable  Sir 
Thomas  had  been  neither  molested  nor  arrested,  and  that 
he,  Biboul,  could  give  no  information  whatever  on  the 
subject.  This  was  perhaps  the  first  occasion  in  his  life  on 
which  General  Biboul  Bey  did  not  lie,  a  circumstance  which 
lent  such  firmness  and  assurance  to  his  manner  that  Sir 
Thomas  was  convinced  of  his  sincerity,  and  made  up  his 
mind  to  start  without  having  found  Magloire. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  follow  the  course  of  Sir  Thomas 
Nicholl's  monotonous  voyage.  His  long  experience  of 
travel  made  it  as  easy  to  him  as  an  excursion  to  Bougival 
would  be  to  a  Parisian.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  he  did 
the  distance  in  twenty-two  days. 

The  soldiers  in  charge  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  had  no  doubt 
been  instructed  not  to  make  any  haste,  in  order  that  their 
prisoner  should  be  exposed  to  as  much  heat  and  fatigue 
as  possible  ;  for  the  caravan  had  not  yet  reached  Cairo 
when  Sir  Thomas  arrived  there.  He  had,  therefore, 
plenty  of  time  to  communicate  with  the  consuls  and  the 
Egyptian-  authorities,  and  his  proceedings  were  fully 
successful. 

Before  the  detachment  from  Khartoum  was  signalled, 
another  caravan  was  dispatched  to  bring  back  the  pri- 


DR.   J.   B.   QUltS.  215 

soner,  and  to  forward  Biboul  Bey's  dismissal  to  him  in  due 
form. 

This,  however,  did  not  prevent  Biboul  Bey  from  govern- 
ing the  Egyptian  Soudan  for  three  or  four  years  longer. 
The  persons  who  had  dismissed  him  doubtless  forgot  all 
about  it,  and  as  he  had  no  interest  to  serve  by  jogging 
their  memory,  he  adopted  the  wise  course  of  forgetting 
it  also. 

The  caravan  had  not  much  trouble  about  the  second  and 
more  important  part  of  its  mission,  for  Quies  and  his 
escort  entered  Cairo  just  as  it  was  leaving  the  city. 

Sir  Thomas,  who  had  been  anxiously  awaiting  this 
happy  moment,  warmly  greeted  the  doctor,  who  replied  to 
his  hearty  welcome  in  an  almost  tranquil  tone,  with  the 
words  : — 

"  In  truth,  Sir  Thomas,  I  am  very  happy  to  see  you 
again." 

"  And  I  am  delighted  to  recover  you  living.  I  hardly 
hoped  I  ever  should.  So  painful  a  journey,  under  con- 
ditions— " 

"  Which  were  excellent." 

"  What  do  you  tell  me  ?  The  emissaries  of  Biboul 
Bey—" 

"  Took  all  possible  care  of  me." 

"  You  don't  say  so  ?  " 

"  You  know  that  the  movement  of  the  camel  always 
tired  me  very  much.  Well,  these  fine  fellows  made  a  sort 
of  palanquin,  covered  it  with  good  sound  canvas,  and 
carried  me — yes — they  carried  me  !  I  was  not  aware 
that  I  was  travelling  !  Every  morning  they  came  to  bid 
me  good-day,  and  to  take  my  orders,  and  I  should  have 
nothing  to  regret  in  this  excursion,  however  opposed  to 
my  tastes  it  was,  if  I  could  only  have  taken  some 
notes.  But  the  heat  was  so  great  that  I  was  unable  to 
stir  out  of  my  shelter.  I  shall  be  obliged  to  have  recourse 
to  the  works  of  my  predecessors.  It  is  much  to  be 
regretted." 


2l6  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Sir  Thomas  listened  to  Quies,  open-mouthed  with  as- 
tonishment, seriously  suspecting  that  the  sun  of  the  desert 
of  Korosko  had  affected  his  mind. 

No  doubt  Sir  Thomas's  impression  was  betrayed  by  his 
features,  for  the  doctor  said  to  him  with  a  smile, — 

"  I  am  not  mad,  Sir  Thomas.  I  am  perfectly  in  my 
senses." 

"Then  will  you  explain  to  me — " 

"  Readily.  Magloire,  the  good,  the  brave,  the  excellent 
Magloire,  who  was  informed  I  know  not  how,  of  my 
mishap,  left  Khartoum  with  me." 

"  No  ? " 

"  Yes.  Nobody  suspected  him.  He  cleverly  contrived 
to  empty  a  wicker  camel-basket,  and  hid  himself  in  it." 

"  Impossible  ! " 

"  It  was  not  until  we  were  a  day's  march  from  Khar- 
toum that  he  left  his  hiding-place  and  came  to  me,  as 
I  sat  on  my  camel  waiting  for  death.  I  had  passed  the 
whole  day  exposed  to  the  sun  !  He  made  me  get  down, 
and  as  the  escort  interfered  to  prevent  him  from  fulfil- 
ling his  charitable  purpose,  he  then  and  there  before  my 
eyes  punished  them  so  severely  with  his  feet,  his  fists, 
and  his  whip,  that  several  of  them  spat  blood,  and  the 
others  cried  for  mercy." 

"  And  their  arms  ?  " 

"  Magloire  had  carefully  possessed  himself  of  them 
beforehand  ;  revolver  in  hand,  he  constituted  himself  chief 
of  the  caravan,  and — " 

"  I  understand  the  rest." 

At  this  moment  Magloire  drew  near,  looking  confused, 
and  as  though  he  would  fain  avoid  the  praise  which  must 
inevitably  be  awarded  to  his  gallant  deeds. 

"  I  double  your  wages,  Magloire,"  said  Sir  Thomas,  so 
soon  as  he  was  within  speaking  distance. 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  replied  Magloire. 

"  You  are  a  brave  man  and  a  good  servant." 

"  Monsieur  is  too  good." 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  217 

"  And  here  is  my  hand,  as  a  proof  of  my  esteem.  I  do 
not  give  it  to  everybody." 

Magloire  touched  the  hand  which  Sir  Thomas  held  out 
to  him  with  his  finger-tips,  and  said,  as  he  awkwardly 
pulled  a  front  lock  of  his  hair, — 

"  I  am  confused  by  your  kindness  and  your  generous 
offers,  and  I  don't  know  how  to  say  that — " 

"  Go  on,  Magic  ire." 

"  That  I  leave  your  service,  sir." 

"  Ah ! " 

"  You  will  forgive  me,  I  hope.  But  I  am  French,  and 
owe  a  duty  to  my  country.  I  enter  the  service  of  Dr.  J.  B. 
Quies." 

"But  I  have  not  said — "  interrupted  the  doctor. 

"  That  does  not  signify.  You  know,  sir,  that  I  am  ready 
to  serve  you,  who  are  the  Livingstone  of  France,  without 
wages.  I  could  not  endure  that  any  one  else  should  have 
the  honour  of  blacking  your  boots,  of  taking  your  orders, 
and  of  following  you  to — " 

"  But—" 

"  I  know  that  you  have  not  reached  the  end  of  your 
travels  yet,  sir." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  I — " 

"  Do  you  not  owe  a  duty  to  science,  sir — to  humanity  ? 
Pei  haps,  some  day,  as  a  reward  for  my  fidelity,  you  will 
deign  to  inscribe  my  name  together  with  your  own  in  one 
of  the  works  which  are  to  immortalize  you.  Oh,  travel  ! 
travel !  " 

In  his  secret  soul,  Quies  was  but  little  disposed  to  put  up 
with  the  perpetual  presence  of  a  too  zealous  servant,  wThose 
strange  mania  was  to  invest  him  with  a  character  which 
did  not  belong  to  him.  But  how  is  one  to  repel  the 
advances  of  a  man  who  styles  one  the  Livingstone  of 
France,  and  sets  his  heart  on  having  the  honour  of 
blacking  one's  boots,  who  undertakes  to  serve  one  without 
wages,  and,  lastly,  who  has  just  saved  one's  life  and  given 
proof  of  unbounded  devotedness  and  self-abnegation  ? 


218  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

After  he  had  vainly  endeavoured  to  make  Magloire 
understand  that  he  was  guilty  of  ingratitude  to  Sir 
Thomas,  Quies  resigned  himself,  having  exhausted  all  the 
arguments  he  could  muster, — he  entered  the  service  of 
Magloire.  Well  did  he  know,  poor  Quies,  that  in  the 
presence  of  that  indomitable  domestic  he  could  not  avow 
his  weakness  and  yield  to  the  sweets  of  far  niente.  Magloire 
at  his  side  was  the  angel  commissioned  by  God  to  utter 
to  the  Wandering  Jew  that  dread  command,  "  On, 
on!" 

Now  what  Quies  wanted  was  not  to  go  on  any  more. 
Indeed,  he  was  so  firmly  resolved  not  to  do  so,  that, 
without  saying  a  word  to  Magloire,  whose  ridicule,  remon- 
strances, or  reproaches  he  dreaded,  he  began  to  make 
preparations  for  finally  settling  down  at  Cairo. 

The  city  of  Cairo  is,  to  a  great  extent,  European.  One 
may  live  there  on  tolerably  easy  terms,  provided  that 
one  has  not  to  submit  to  the  extortion  of  the  hotel- 
keepers,  who  speculate  too  mercilessly  upon  the  passing 
traveller,  and  treat  his  complaints  with  complete  indiffer- 
ence. 

Quies  made  an  exact  calculation  of  his  resources  ;  set 
to  work  to  find  a  house  for  sale  ;  informed  himself  of 
the  price  of  all  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  arrived  at  the 
delightful  conclusion  that  he  could  live  at  Cairo  like  a 
fighting-cock  without  den}  ing  himself  anything,  and  at  the 
same  time  lay  by  a  respectable  sum  for  the  benefit  of  the 
six  daughters  of  his  cousin  Ragot. 

There  was,  however,  an  obstacle  in  the  way.  Quies  had 
not  a  sou.  To  apply  at  the  Consulate  or  to  bankers,  and 
to  offer  security,  would  be  to  expose  himself  to  refusal 
and  to  renew  his  former  unpleasant  experiences.  He  for- 
tunately remembered  the  offer  which  Sir  Thomas  Nicholl 
had  made  him. 

"  Of  course,"  answered  the  latter  ;  "  I  am  entirely  at 
your  service." 

"  Thanks." 


DR.   J.   B.   QUl£S. 


219 


"  But  the  only  funds  I  have  are  drafts  on  Alexandria, 
where  I  embark  to-morrow." 

"  That  is  unfortunate." 

"  Come  with  me  this  evening." 

Quies  made  an  expressive  grimace. 

"  If  you  wish  to  settle  down  in  Egypt,  you  will  be  best 
off  at  Alexandria." 


Alexandria. 

"  But  then  I—" 

"  It  is  only  a  few  hours  by  rail.  Besides,  I  should  be 
hurt  if  you  did  not  come  with  me  to  the  steamer." 

It  will  be  admitted  on  all  hands  that  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies 
could  not  refuse  so  small  a  boon  to  the  man  who  had  done 
so  much  for  him,  without  failing  in  the  simplest  elements 
of  good  breeding. 

He  bore  this  last  portion  of  his  journey  very  well.     He 


22O  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

was  not  greatly  tired,  but  reached  Alexandria  in  good 
health  and  spirits,  went  with  Sir  Thomas  to  his  banker's, 
pocketed  25,000  francs,  which  he  was  to  repay  by  a  draft 
on  London,  and  accompanied  his  generous  friend  to  the 
place  of  embarkation. 

When  he  had  waved  a  last  adieu  to  Sir  Thomas,  he 
returned  to  the  town,  and  immediately  provided  himself 
with  clothes,  linen,  and  the  other  indispensable  articles  of 
which  he  had  been  destitute  for  so  long.  This  done,  he 
repaired  to  the  hotel  which  he  had  selected  as  his 
temporary  abode,  and  indited  a  long  letter  to  Maitre 
Grimblot,  at  Saint-Pignon,  enjoining  the  said  Grimblot 
to  realize  his  fortune,  and  transmit  to  him  the  entire 
amount  in  drafts  to  his  order  upon  Bo.  rsicotte  Brothers, 
Alexandria. 

In  order  to  guard  against  all  errors  and  accidents,  he 
made  a  duplicate  copy  of  this  letter,  for  dispatch  to  the 
same  address  by  the  English  route. 

He  had  made  sure  of  the  future,  and  he  fell  asleep  that 
night  with  a  feeling  approaching  to  security  against  the 
tricks  of  chance. 

"When  does  Monsieur  leave  Alexandria?"  asked 
Magloire,  as  he  opened  the  windows  on  the  following 
morning. 

"  I  don't  know — we  shall  see." 
"  Monsieur  is  not  thinking  of  remaining  here  ?  " 
Quies  hesitated  for  a  moment  before  he  answered. 
"  Well,  well,"  he  said  at  length,  "  it  will  only  be  the  same 
thing  over  again  every  day.     It  is  better  to  have  done  with 
it  at  once." 

"  I  intend,"  said  he,  suddenly,  "  to  remain  here  until  the 
end  of  my  days." 

"  Monsieur  is  joking." 

"  Not  in  the  least.  I  would  not  encounter  the  danger 
and  fatigue  of  crossing  the  sea  for  an  empire  !  I  need 
rest.  My  health  is  greatly  impaired.  It  is  a  miracle  that 
I  have  outlived  such  shocks." 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfeS.  221 

"  Oh,  I  know  how  it  will  be  ;  Monsieur  will  be  satisfied 
here  for  a  fortnight,  or  perhaps  less.  In  a  week,  I  daresay, 
you  will  not  be  able  to  keep  quiet  !  I  am  just  like  that 
myself;  there  are  times  when  I  should  like  to  live  quietly 
in  a  cottage ;  but  it  does  not  last.  When  one  has  a 
passion  for  travel,  as  Monsieur  has,  it  is  incurable." 

"  We  shall  see,"  returned  Quies  quietly ;  but  he  said  to 
himself,  "  This  fellow  worries  me  ;  I  shall  give  him  notice." 

His  apprehensions  were,  however,  only  imperfectly 
assuaged  by  this  rather  tardy  resolution.  Magloire  was 
quite  capable  of  refusing  the  notice.  After  all  the  trials 
he  had  undergone,  Quies  was  not  to  be  disturbed  by  such 
a  consideration  for  very  long;  he  terminated  the  interview 
with  Magloire  abruptly,  and  went  out  of  the  hotel, 
pursuing  a  train  of  thought  which  was  not  without  its 
bitterness,  although  the  future  was  already  decked  in  less 
sombre  colours. 

A  sudden  bump  recalled  his  attention  to  external  things, 
and  a  hard,  shrill  voice  addressed  him, — 

"  Now  then,  look  out,  will  you !  " 

This  sentence,  though  spoken  in  French,  was  uttered  in 
an  accent  which  revealed  a  foreigner,  and  Quies  stared  at 
the  speaker  with  his  big  projecting  eyes,  like  a  sleeper 
suddenly  awakened. 

He  beheld  a  short,  thin  man,  whose  hard  red  complexion 
bespoke  long  exposure  to  the  sun.  This  personage  wore 
his  hair  short  and  had  little  thin  whiskers  cut  straight 
across  below  the  ear.  His  low-crowned,  wide-leaved  hat, 
placed  very  far  back  on  his  head,  his  white  jacket  and  the 
red  woollen  sash  tied  round  his  body,  would  have  informed 
the  least  observant  that  he  was  a  sailor. 

He  did  not  look  particularly  agreeable,  and  although  his 
light  hair  did  not  indicate  a  southern  origin,  a  first  sight  of 
him  suggested  the  defects — which  do  not  exclude  the  quali- 
ties— of  the  quick  and  irascible  races  of  the  south. 

Quies,  still  shocked  by  the  man's  rough  address,  stood 
stock  still,  looking  at  him 


222 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


"  Well,"  said  the  stranger, "  what  are  you  looking  at  me 
as  if  I  were  a  penguin  for  ?  What  do  you  want  ?  Do  you 
know  whom  you're  staring  at  ?  It  is  not  difficult  to  find 
out.  Poggenbeck,  contractor,  of  Haarlem  !  Is  that 
enough  for  you  ?  " 

Quies  literally  jumped. 

"  Poggenbeck,"  he  cried  ;  "  you 
are  Captain  Poggenbeck  ? " 

"  Of  Haarlem.  Yes  ;  what 
then?" 

"  My  last  move  is :  D  7  R. 
What  do  you  play  ?  " 

"  Dr.  Quies,"  said  Poggenbeck, 
suddenly  assuming  a  gracious  air, 
"  of  Saint-Pignon." 

"  Les  Girouettes,  my  dear  sir." 
"  I  am  delighted  to  see  you." 
"  And  I  to  make  your  acquaint- 
ance." 

Poggenbeck  took  the  doctor's 
arm  and  walked  on  with  him. 

"  I  was  very  uneasy  about  you. 
When,  on  my  last  trip  to  Haarlem, 
I  did  not  find  your  rejJy  in  due 
order,  I  regarded  the  match  as  off." 

"  Off !  "  cried  the  doctor  ;  "  what  an  idea !  " 
Then,  in  order  to  convince  Mynheer  Poggenbeck  that 
he  had  not  relinquished  the  hope  of  beating  him  on  this 
pacific  battle-field,  he  recapitulated  one  by  one  all  the 
moves  in  the  game,  and  astonished  the  captain  by  the 
lucidity  of  his  memory.  The  fact  is  that  he  was  made 
seven  or  eight  months  younger  by  his  meeting  with 
Poggenbeck,  and  had  slipped  in  an  instant,  so  to  speak, 
into  the  skin  of  the  former  J.  B.  Quies.  He  was  restored 
to  his  old  self;  his  mind  returned  to  its  previous  projects, 
and  to  its  former  mood  of  mild  and  tranquil  contempla- 
tion. It  seemed  to  him  that  his  essay  on  the  early  history 


Captain  Poggenbeck. 


DR.   J.    B.   QUlfeS.  223 

of  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  was  lying  on  the  table, 
awaiting  only  the  finishing  paragraphs  ;  his  geraniums  and 
his  fuchsias  glowed  in  the  flower-beds,  and  smiled  at  him 
through  the  open  window  ;  he  heard  the  voice  of  Gertrude. 
The  blue  sky  of  Alexandria  was  flecked  with  clouds  that 
swept  the  spire  of  the  familiar  belfry  of  his  natal  town  in 
their  flight,  und  he  fancied  himself  treading  the  pavement 
of  Saint-Pignon  on  the  arm  of  an  old  friend.  It  was 
indeed  a  great  joy  to  Quies  to  have  recovered  Mynheer 
Poggenbeck — whom  he  had  never  seen. 

"  It  is  very  provoking,"  said  the  latter,  "  that  I  have 
to  sail  in  two  hours  •  we  might  have  finished  this 
match." 

"Never  mind,"  said  Quies,  "I  will  play  a  little  more 
quickly.  And  in  two  hours — " 

"  Yes,  doctor." 

"  Well,  in  two  hours  you  will  have  lost  the  game." 

"  Then,  doctor,  I  double  the  stake." 

"  All  right  !  and  if  we  had  a  chessboard — " 

"  Mine  is  at  hand.  If  you  will  have  the  goodness  to 
come  with  me." 

"  Is  it  far  ? " 

"  Close  by — on  board  the  Marsouin." 

"  H'm,  h'm." 

"  There's  no  h'm,  h'm,  about  it,  doctor.  A  fine  brig,  a 
sailing  vessel,  it  is  true,  but  she  does  her  ten  knots  an  hour 
and  holds  her  own,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  I  don't  gainsay  all  that,  but  we  can  get  a  chessboard 
at  the  hotel." 

"  I  can't  go  there.  I  shall  have  to  give  my  final  orders 
while  we  play.  Come  along." 

"  You  see,  I — 

"  Nonsense.  I  shall  not  carry  you  off  against  your  will. 
My  second  officer  will  look  after  that." 

"  Yes — but — I  might  be  seasick." 

"  Seasick  on  an  oil-pond  !  You  will  be  no  more  shaken 
on  board  my  ship  than  in  your  own  bed  !  And  then,  two 


224  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

hours  ;  only  two  hours.  You  will  beat  me  in  two  hours  ! 
You  said  so  yourself.'' 

"  Yes,  and  I  say  so  again." 

"  Very  well,  then,  let  us  be  off." 

In  a  very  short  time  Mynheer  Poggenbeck  had  succeeded 
in  transferring  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  from  the  quay  to  the  deck 
of  the  Marsouin,  and  from  the  deck  to  the  captain's  cabin, 
where  they  found  the  chessboard  set  with  all  its  pieces. 

Those  who  have  known  only  the  mild  pleasures  of  loto 
and  other  minor  games,  cannot  form  even  an  approximate 
idea  of  the  fascination  which  those  little  bits  of  wood 
called  chessmen  exercise  over  a  skilled  player.  The  world 
might  fall  into  ruins  around  the  Cafe  de  la  Regence,  where 
the  chess-players  congregate,  and  not  one  of  them  would 
seem  to  be  aware  of  the  occurrence. 

Poggenbeck  and  Quies  took  their  seats  opposite  to  each 
other.  Quies  had  played  D.  7  R.  Poggenbeck  planted 
his  elbows  on  the  table,  took  his  head  between  his  hands, 
and  gazed  fixedly  at  the  chessboard.  Quies  watched  him 
with  blinking  eyes  and  a  covert  smile,  which  seemed  to 
say,— 

"  Get  out  of  that  if  you  can  !  " 

For  these  two,  nothing  outside  that  little  square  of  wood 
with  the  chequers  on  it,  had  any  existence.  Had  the  stake 
been  a  fortune  or  the  fate  of  an  empire,  they  could  not 
have  been  more  absorbed  and  immovable. 

After  half  an  hour's  profound  reflection,  Poggenbeck 
put  out  his  hand,  almost  touched  the  queen,  but  not  quite, 
slowly  scratched  his  forehead  and  resumed  his  position. 
Quies,  who  had  been  about  to  say,  "You  have 
lost,"  kept  silence  on  seeing  that  the  captain  hesi- 
tated. A  second  half-hour  passed  away.  Poggenbeck 
repeated  the  same  action,  and  Quies  remained  perfectly 
acquiescent.  Patience  is  the  most  indispensable  of  all 
virtues  to  a  chess-player.  One's  adversary  may  be  kept 
waiting  four  hours  or  more.  The  player  who  complains 
is  a  man  condemned  ;  he  is  held  for  ever  unworthy  to  in- 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


225 


scribe  his  name  on  the  golden  roll  of  the  Labourdonnayes 
and  the  Philidors. 

Quies  respected  the  science  too  profoundly  to  interrupt 
the  captain  by  even  the  briefest  interjection.  He  seemed 
to  be  following  all  the  moves  that  were  planned,  abandoned, 
and  resumed  in  his  adversary's  head.  He  shared  his 
emotions,  his  perplexities,  and  so  fixed  was  his  attention 
upon  the  results  of  the  long  mental  struggle,  that  he  had 


"  Captain,  we  are  raising  the  anchor." 

reached  the  stage  at  which  a  chess-player  hears  and  sees 
nothing  external  to  the  game,  quite  as  fully  as  Poggenbeck  ; 
so  that  when  the  second  officer  opened  the  door  of  the 
cabin  and  said,  loudly,  "  Captain,  we  are  raising  the 
anchor,"  both  the  captain  and  the  doctor  remained  as 
motionless  as  mummies  two  thousand  years  old. 

It  was  half-past  twelve  when  the  two  adversaries  sat 
down  at  the  cabin  table  ;   at  ten  minutes  past  three  the  cap- 
tain suddenly  moved  a  pawn,  and  played  P.  pr.  P. 
15 


226  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

The  doctor  moved  rapidly  T.  3  R. 

"  C.  3  D.     Checkmate  !  "  cried  Quies  in  triumph. 

"  Beaten  !  "  grumbled  Poggenbeck.  "  You  will  give  me 
my  revenge  ?  " 

"  Whenever  you  please.  In  the  meantime  allow  me  to 
say  farewell  and  go  ashore." 

"  Of  course,  my  dear  doctor." 

The  two  adversaries  shook  hands  across  the  table  with 
great  cordiality.  Quies  rose,  opened  the  cabin  door,  set 
foot  upon  the  deck,  and  uttered  a  groan  of  despair. 

The  Marsouin  was  on  the  high  seas  !  The  land  was 
already  a  mere  line  on  the  horizon.  The  doctor's  first 
impulse  was  to  fling  himself  over  the  bulwarks.  Poggen- 
beck was  just  in  time  to  catch  him  by  the  skirt  of  his  coat, 
and  to  call  out, — 

"  None  of  that !     Come,  come,  none  of  that  " 

Quies  dropped  upon  the  deck,  and,  not  daring  to  stir, 
looked  at  Poggenbeck  so  imploringly,  so  despairingly,  that 
the  latter  was  moved  to  pity. 

"  If  you  take  it  so  ill  as  all  that,"  said  he,  "  a  boat  can 
put  you  ashore  in  a  few  hours  " 

Wonderful  to  say,  Quies  refused. 

An  involuntary  pleasure  had  mingled,  quick  as  a  flash 
of  lightning,  with  the  misery  caused  by  this  fresh  trick  of 
fate  ;  pleasure  so  great  that  if  the  Marsouin  had  touched 
at  an  Egyptian  port  a  quarter  of  an  hour  afterwards,  Quies 
would  not  have  left  the  ship.  And  why?  Ah,  it  was 
because  he  had  seen  with  his  mind's  eye,  behind  that  pale 
blue  line  which  shut  in  the  horizon,  the  dear,  lovely 
little  town  of  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes,  on  its  green 
height,  and  his  own  slate-roofed  house,  all  that  he  had 
loved,  all  that  he  still  loved.  For  the  first  time  in  his  life 
Quies  allowed  himself  to  be  borne  away  without  crying, — 

"  Stop  !     1  will  not  go  any  farther." 


DR.  J.  B.  QUIES.  227 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

A    SHOT   IN   AN   ANT-HILL. 

WE  must  now  go  back  for  a  while,  and  relate  as  briefly  as 
possible  the  proceedings  of  the  various  personages  whom 
we  have  left  at  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes. 

Mdme.  Ragot  had  grown  six  years  younger  since  the 
marriage  of  her  daughters — a  year  for  each.  The  generous 
bargain  made  by  Anthime  had  enabled  her  to  replenish  her 
wardrobe,  and  this,  no  doubt,  had  its  share  in  her  renewal 
of  youth.  And  besides,  nothing  is  so  sovereign  a  recipe 
for  good  looks  as  peace  of  mind,  and  the  widowed  cousin 
of  J.  B.  Quies  had  never  been  happier  in  her  life. 

The  memory  of  the  good  doctor — whom  she  called  her 
"  dear  benefactor  " — gained  by  this.  Not  a  day  passed  but 
Mdme.  Ragot  put  some  additional  touch  to  the  renown  of 
the  deceased.  It  was  cousin  Quies  here  !  It  was  cousin 
Quies  there !  Poor,  dear  Quies  !  His  praises  grew  and 
multiplied  as  the  days  went  on.  Contrary  to  all  ordinary 
rules  there  seemed  to  be  no  oblivion  for  Quies. 

This  apparent  anomaly  was  easy  of  explanation.  Each 
day  that  passed  brought  additional  security  to  the  An- 
thime-Ragot  firm.  The  chances  of  the  reappearance 
of  Quies  were  diminished  by  just  so  much  ;  and  of 
all  the  misfortunes  that  M.  Anthime  Bonamy  and  Mdme. 
Ragot  could  have  to  dread,  that  one  was  the  most 
formidable. 

Nobody  at  Saint-Pignon,  except  those  two,  tock  such 
an  eventuality  into  contemplation.  Everybody  accepted 
the  doctor's  death  as  certain.  His  funeral  sermon  had 


228 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


been  solemnly  preached  ;  the  sum  required  for  the  execu- 
tion of  the  statue  had  been  fully  subscribed,  and  the  com- 
mission had  been  given  to  a  sculptor  of  renown,  who  had 
set  to  work  without  delay.  The  forehead  was  coming  out 
very  well,  the  eyes  were  expressive,  the  nose  was  all  it 

should  be.  Beyond 
a  doubt,  the  work 
would  be  widely 
celebrated,  and 
would  bring 
crowds  of  visitors 
to  Saint-Pignon. 
It  was,  however, 
arranged  that  the 
inauguration  of 
the  effigy  of  the 
doctor  should  not 
take  place  until 
the  1 5th  of  April 
in  the  following 
year,  the  anni- 
versary of  his 
birth  ;  and  it  was 
now  early  in  No- 
vember, the  leaves 
were  only  begin- 
ning to  fall.  M.  de  Prechafoin  had  ample  time  to  prepare 
his  speech,  and  Mdme.  Ragot  to  make  ready  her  costume 
for  the  great  occasion. 

The  good  town  of  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  was, 
then,  in  a  state  of  perfect  tranquillity,  when,  one  fine 
morning,  three  of  the  municipal  authorities  happened  to 
be  in  the  Cafe  de  la  Comedie — so  called  in  order  to  convey 
the  idea  that  there  was,  or  had  been,  a  theatre  in  the  place — 
and  one  of  them  was  reading  the  Journal  Officicl.  This 
individual  suddenly  uttered  a  portentous  "  Oh  !  "  and  has- 
tened across  the  floor  to  show  the  newspaper  to  the  second 


A  sculptor  was  set  to  work. 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfcS. 


229 


of  the  three,  who  was  concocting  a  "grog"  at  a  table 
opposite.  The  second  of  the  three  uttered  a  no  less  por- 
tentous "Oh!"  forgot  his  sugar  and  his  lemon,  and  rushed 
towards  the  third,  who  exclaimed,  "  It  is  not  possible," 
and,  snatching  the  paper,  eagerly  pointed  out  a  certain 


Reading  the  despatch  of  Quies  at  the  Cafe  de  la  Comedie. 

paragraph  to  his  right-hand  neighbour.  In  short,  five 
minutes  afterwards  the  cafe  was  empty  ;  every  man  had 
gone  out  with  hands  uplifted  in  astonishment. 

The  paragraph  which   had    produced    this    remarkable 
effect  was  the  following:— 


230 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


"The  Times  of  the  I5th  instant  announces  that  Sir 
Thomas  Nicholl,  whose  departure  for  Central  Africa  we 
recently  recorded,  has  transmitted  to  that  journal,  by 


•:   i4&!"?%  4  A        CsJitsr'i* 

>^ .     L^^sfys 


The  great  news  was  spread  throughout  the  town. 

carrier-pigeon,  the  accompanying  message,  which  reaches 
us  after  a  delay  of  three  weeks.  'All  goes  well.  Met 
the  French  explorer,  J.  B.  Quies.  Travels  with  me.  Sends 
regards  to  fellow-citizens  at  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes.' " 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfcS.  231 

If  you  have  ever  fired  a  shot  into  one  of  those  heaps  of 
clay  and  twigs  which  the  ants  build  up  in  the  woods,  you 
know  with  what  impetuosity  the  intelligent  little  creatures 
come  out  of  their  dwelling  and  crowd  together,  questioning 
each  other  respecting  the  disaster  that  has  befallen  them. 
No  less  was  the  excitement  that  prevailed  at  Saint-Pignon 
when  the  great  news  was  spread  throughout  the  town. 
In  ten  minutes  the  whole  population  was  assembled  in 
the  market-place. 

"  You  have  read  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  miraculous  !  " 

"  He  is  travelling  in  Africa  ! " 

"  Would  you  have  believed  it  ?  " 

"  I  ?     I  always  said  so.     I  said  it  only  yesterday." 

Nothing  ever  occurs  here  below  but  it  has  been  predicted 
by  some  one.  On  the  other  hand  there  are  always  people 
who  don't  believe  it. 

The  Times'  statement  was  received  with  incredulity  by 
several  persons  at  Saint-Pignon.  The  English  traveller 
has  mistaken  some  other  person  for  Quies.  If  the  doctor 
were  living  he  would  have  written,  and  signed  his  message 
himself,  &c.,  &c. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  Mdme.  Ragot  very 
naturally  placed  herself  at  the  head  of  the  sceptical  party. 
If  Quies  were  living,  her  position  must  needs  be  an  exceed- 
ingly critical  one.  Anthime  could  demand  the  annulment 
of  the  contract  and  the  immediate  repayment  of  the  sum 
of  300,000  francs,  which  she  no  longer  possessed.  It  was, 
therefore,  with  the  utmost  ardour,  energy,  and  earnestness, 
that  she  protested: — 

"  It  is  absurd  !  I  cannot  conceive  how  reasonable  people 
can  listen  to  such  fables,  even  for  an  instant.  Quies  in 
Africa  !  The  explorer  Quies  !  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  As  if  we  did 
not  know  him  !  Quies  !  A  feeble,  gouty  creature,  who 
could  hardly  put  one  foot  before  the  other.  A  snail  who 
never  stirred  out  of  his  shell.  He,  an  explorer  !  They 
might  as  well  tell  you  I — I,  who  am  speaking  to  you — had 


2J2  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

gone  up  to  the  moon  and  come  down  again.  And  where 
does  the  story  come  from  ?  From  England,  from  a 
Thomas  Nigaud  that  nobody  knows  anything  about.  Very 
likely  there  is  no  such  person.  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  there's 
a  trick  in  this,  and  I  can  see  farther  into  it  than  some 
folks  imagine  !  There  are  certain  people  — I  don't  wish  to 
name  any  one  in  particular — but  there  are  certain  people 
who  were  not  best  pleased  to  see  my  daughters  settled  in 
life!  Ha,  ha!  let  us  go  and  play  Mdme.  Ragot  a  good 
trick  ;  let  us  get  a  rise  out  of  her  !  And  rubbish  like  this 
is  to  be  believed,  and  spread  about,  indeed  !  " 

Mdme.  Ragot  jerked  her  head,  her  arms,  and  her  legs, 
all  the  time  she  was  talking,  as  if  she  had  St.  Vitus's 
dance.  Her  false  hair  tumbled  off,  and  lay  neglected  on 
the  field  of  battle.  But,  in  order  to  convince  others,  one 
must  be  a  believer  in  one's  self,  and  the  unfortunate 
woman  made  all  this  noise  to  convince  herself.  Not- 
withstanding all  the  excellent  reasons  she  had  assigned 
for  incredulity,  she  was  sore  afraid  that  the  hour  of 
restitution  was  about  to  strike.  Her  fear  was  well 
founded,  for  on  re-entering  her  house  she  beheld  M. 
Bonamy,  who  was  awaiting  her  arrival  with  a  grave 
countenance,  in  a  black  coat  and  a  white  cravat — in  short, 
in  ceremonial  attire. 

"  Ah  !  it  is  you  !  "  said  she,  holding  out  both  hands  to 
him.  "  You  are  my  ally  !  You  are  not  a  fool  like  the 
rest  of  them  !  You  know  how  to  treat  these  ridiculous 


rumours 


"  Ridiculous  ?     H'm,  h'm." 

"  You  believe  them  ? " 

"  I  believe,  and  I  don't  believe.  There  is  a  doubt  ; 
everything  is  possible." 

"  Even  the  absurd  ?  " 

"  Especially  the  absurd  ;  and  then,  you  understand,  if 
Quies  really  is  living,  if  Quies  comes  back— 

"  He  will  not  come  back  !  He  has  no  right  to  come 
back." 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  233 

"  Granted.     But  if  he  does  ?  " 

"  That  will  not  be  my  fault." 

"  No  doubt.  But  he  will  resume  possession  of  his 
property." 

"  Naturally." 

"  What  becomes  of  my  3000  francs  a  year  in  that  case  ? " 

"  They  are  not  lost,  I  suppose.  I  have  surrendered  all 
my  rights  to  you.  At  his  death — " 

"  His  death  !     Quies  may  live  fifteen  years  at  least." 

"  Well,  what  then  ?  " 

"  How  !  What  then  ?  I  shall  have  lived  on  6000  francs 
a  year  for  fifteen  years.  I  shall  have  paid  300,000  francs 
in  capital  and  300,000  francs  in  interest,  that  is  to  say, 
600,000  francs  for  a  fortune  probably  consideiably  dimin- 
ished, and  which  will  represent  only  a  third  of  the  sum 
disbursed  by  me.  Admit,  my  dear  madam,  that  the  bargain 
is  none  of  the  best." 

"Good  bargains  are  not  made  every  day." 

"  You,  at  all  events,  have  made  a  profitable  one." 

"  Are  you  reproaching  me  ?  " 

"  I  have  a  right  to  do  so." 

"  Have  you,  indeed  ?  Did  I  take  your  money  from  you 
by  force  ?  When  we  made  this  bargain,  it  was  for  you 
to  weigh  the  chances.  If  you  agreed— 

"  It  was  to  oblige  you.  I  did  not  like  to  let  you  be  in 
beggary  any  longer." 

"  In  beggary,  I  in  beggary!  You  might  at  least  remem- 
ber, sir,  that  I  am  a  woman,  and  not  come  here  to  insult 
me  grossly  in  my  own  house." 

"  If  you  take  that  tone  with  me,  any  amicable  arrange- 
ment will  be  impossible/' 

"What  do  you  mean  by  an  amicable  arrangement?" 

"  I  mean  the  restitution  of  a  portion  of  the  sum.". 

"  You  shall  not  have  a  sou,  not  a  sou  !  " 

And  Mdme.  Ragot,  who  was  almost  beside  herself 
with  fear  and  anger,  pushed  Anthime  towards  the  door, 
repeating, — 


234  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  Not  a  sou,  not  a  sou  !  " 

No  sooner  had  she  got  rid  of  him  than  she  repaired  in 
haste  to  Maitre  Grimblot,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  truth 
about  the  validity  of  her  rights.  Now,  as  fate  would  have 
it,  the  same  idea  had  occurred  to  M.  Bonamy,  and  the  two 
entered  the  notary's  office  at  the  same  time,  but  by  dif- 
ferent doors. 

Maitre  Grimblot  who  had  drawn  up  the  deed  of  surrender, 
was  acquainted  with  the  whole  affair  ;  but  that  fact  did  not 
hinder  M.  Bonamy  from  explaining  it  to  him  from  first  to 
last  in  the  fullest  detail.  When  he  had  concluded  his 
statement,  Mdme.  Ragot  began  and  went  over  it  all  again, 
interpolating  many  sharp  remarks,  offensive  allusions,  and 
recriminating  corrections.  At  length,  however,  the  time 
came  for  Grimblot  to  speak,  and  he  pronounced,  with- 
out hesitation,  in  favour  of  Mdme.  Ragot.  According  to 
him  the  validity  of  the  deed  could  not  be  contested,  were 
it  only  because  it  had  been  drawn  up  and  signed  in  his 
office. 

The  notary's  decision  was  received  by  Anthime  with  the 
angry  exclamation, — 

"  Maitre  Grimblot,  you  are  nothing  but  an  ass  !  " 

"  Sir  !  " 

"  Unless,  indeed,  you  are  the  voluntary  accomplice  of  a 
swindle." 

At  the  word  "swindle"  Mdme  Ragot  jumped  up,  with 
her  eyes  aflame,  and,  seizing  a  large  portfolio  which  lay 
within  her  reach,  she  flung  it  at  Anthime's  head.  He 
dodged  the  blow,  and,  picking  up  a  roll  of  papers  from  the 
floor,  threw  it  straight  in  the  face  of  Mdme.  Ragot.  She 
in  her  turn  ducked  her  head  and  evaded  the  missile  ;  but 
Grimblot,  who  was,  unfortunately  for  him,  just  behind  her, 
was  struck  in  the  chest  by  it,  and  such  was  his  exaspera- 
tion at  this  unexpected  shock  that  he  caught  up  papers, 
books,  inkstands,  everything  he  could  lay  his  hands  on,  and 
flung  himself  into  the  fray.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
Homer  has  been  for  some  years  dead  ;  he  only  would  have 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


235 


been  capable  of  describing  such  a  conflict.     For  a  month 
to  come  it  was  the  talk  of  the  town. 

Mdme.  Ragot  had  to  take  to  her  bed  ;  Anthime  was  in 
the  doctor's  hands  for  a  week,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
apply  leeches  to  Grimblot's  contusion*. 


At  the  word  "  swindle  "  Madame  Ragot  jumped  up. 

When  the  three  combatants  were  restored  to  a  present- 
able condition,  the  presiding  judge  of  the  town  undertook 
the  office  of  mediator,  at  the  combined  request  of  their 
three  families.  In  the  first  instance  he  made  it  clear  to 


236  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Mdme.  Ragot  that  she  had  everything  to  gain  by  con- 
ciliating M.  Bonamy.  If  a  lawsuit  were  to  be  instituted 
the  issue  of  it  would  be  by  no  means  certain.  Her  wisest 
plan  was  to  gain  time,  and  win  over  her  opponent  by 
civility. 

He  took  the  same  ground  with  Anthime.  The  matter 
was  a  difficult  and  a  delicate  one  ;  the  suit  wou'd  be 
tedious  and  it  would  be  time  enough  to  resort  to  the 
law,  if  Quies  should  prove  to  be  living  and  should  make 
his  appearance  at  Saint-Pignon.  In  the  meantime  it 
seemed  to  him  that  the  disputants  would  do  well  to  go  on 
quietly,  and  live  on  good  terms  with  each  other.  He  suc- 
ceeded so  well  that  one  fine  day  M.  Bonamy  took  Mdme. 
Ragot,  leaning  on  his  arm,  to  Grimblot's  house,  and  they 
jointly  made  an  apology  which  was  indisputably  due  to  the 
worthy  notary. 

By  degrees  the  remembrance  of  the  violent  shock  which 
had  shaken  all  the  high  life  of  ^aint-Pignon  les  Girouettes 
to  its  innermost  centre  grew  faint  and  died  out.  Time 
went  on  ;  Quies  did  not  return.  No  second  message  from 
Sir  Thomas  Nicholl  or  from  the  doctor  was  recorded  in 
the  newspapers. 

New-Year's  Day  came  round,  and  was  celebrated  as 
usual ;  everybody  made  everybody  else  the  customary 
presents  Ouies  had  not  sent  his  card  to  anybody.  The 
general  belief  was  there  had  been  a  mistake  or  a  hoax  in 
the  matter. 

The  six  sons-in-law  of  Madame  Ragot,  who  had  been 
greatly  alarmed  at  the  possible  consequences  of  the 
doctor's  resurrection,  took  heart  again,  and  once  more 
sang  with  her  the  praises  of  the  much  lamented  J.  B. 
Quies. 

When  the  middle  of  January  had  been  reached  without 
alarms,  that  is  to  say,  three  months  after  the  deplorable 
incident  which  we  have  just  narrated,  M.  Bonamy  regarded 
the  investment  of  his  300,000  francs  as  a  perfectly  safe  trans- 
action He  had  renewed  his  friendship  with  Mdme.  Ragot, 


DR.  J.   B.   QUIES.  237 

and  was  pursuing  the  course  of  his  scientific  labours  with 
zeal  which  would  assuredly  secure  to  him  in  the  end  a 
reputation  at  least  equal  to  that  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  who 
was  no  longer  there  to  dispute  it  with  him.  Confidence  in 
the  future,  full,  entire,  absolute  confidence,  had  been  restored 
to  him,  when  one  evening,  after  dinner,  he  received  a  letter 
of  convocation  from  M.  de  Prechafoin,  perpetual  President 
of  the  Geographical,  Numismatical,  and  Archaeological 
Society  of  Saint-Pignon. 


238  THE  STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

IN  WHICH  DR.  J.  B.  QUIES  INFINITELY  REGRETS  THAT 
HE  HAD  NOT  ARRIVED  A  WEEK  LATER  AT  SAINT- 
PIGNON  LES  GIROUETTES. 

"  SIR,  AND  DEAR  COLLEAGUE, — Important  intelligence 
which  has  reached  me  from  abroad,  obliges  me  to  summon 
you  for  to-morrow  at  ten  o'clock  to  our  usual  place  of 
meeting.  I  reckon  upon  your  punctual  attendance,  and 
beg  you  to  accept  the  assurance  of  my  distinguished  con- 
sideration." 

M.  Bonany  had  received  more  than  one  official  com- 
munication of  this  kind  from  M.  de  Prechafoin  ;  nevertheless 
the  present  summons  made  him  shiver  with  apprehension. 
News  from  abroad  !  The  spectre  of  Quies  arose  before 
him. 

It  was  with  a  trembling  hand  that  he  adjusted  his  white 
cravat  next  morning,  and  with  unsteady  gait  that  he 
repaired  to  the  Mairie,  where  almost  all  the  members  of 
the  learned  society  of  Saint-Pignon  were  already  assem- 
bled. These  were  generally  punctual  in  their  attendance, 
because,  in  their  capacity  as  savants,  they  could  not  with 
any  propriety  show  themselves  indifferent  to  the  interests 
of  science  ;  but  more  especially  because  M.  de  Prechafoin 
had  allotted,  with  the  assent  of  the  committee,  a  fee  of  five 
francs  for  attendance  to  each  member. 

The  room  was  well  filled  when  the  president  took  his 
seat,  rang  his  bell,  and  addressed  the  meeting  as  follows  :— 

"  Gentlemen,    and   dear   colleagues,   the    interest    with 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  239 

which  scientific  matters  are  regarded  is  the  characteristic 
mark  of  our  epoch.  From  all  parts  of  the  world  come  the 
indefatigable  pioneers  of  science  who  explore  the  vast 
field  of  the  unknown,  on  which  many,  alas !  find  death. 

"  The  worthiest  and  the  most  esteemed  among  us  has 
set  this  magnificent  example  to  humanity  of  self-devotion 
and  self-sacrifice.  (Prolonged  applause.) 

"  It  is  not  only  in  France,  in  England,  in  Germany,  in 
Russia,  that  this  great  movement  of  the  human  intellect 
manifests  itself;  but  even  those  nations  who  are  placed  in 
the  lower  rank  by  their  geographical  and  political  position 
vie  with  us  in  treading  that  honourable  path.  Certain 
among  them  seem  desirous  of  getting  in  advance  of  us 
Moldavia,  Wallachia.  Bulgaria,  and  Servia  have  for  some 
years  past  furnished  soldiers  to  the  great  army  of  science 
who  will  one  day  be  illustrious.  Our  duty  is  not  only  to 
applaud  their  exertions,  but  to  extend  the  support  of  our 
resources  and  our  intelligence  to  them.  (Cheers.) 

"  I  have,  therefore,  thought  it  necessary,  gentlemen,  to 
take  particular  notice  of  a  communication  which  has  been 
made  to  me  in  the  name  of  the  Society  of  Bucharest. 

"  The  President  of  that  Society  informs  me  that  a 
scientific  congress  will  be  held  on  the  I4th  of  the  present 
month  of  February  at  Turn-Severin  in  Wallachia,  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Danube. 

"  The  principal  learned  societies  of  Europe  are  invited 
to  send  one  or  several  representatives  to  this  congress, 
and  it  is  no  small  honour  for  us  that  the  name  of  the 
Geographical,  Numismatical,  and  Archaeological  Society  of 
Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  figures  in  the  list.  (Cheers.) 

"  Convinced  as  I  am  that  we  should  all  heartily  desire  the 
favour  of  representing  French  science  at  Turn-Severin,  I 
have  taken  it  upon  myself  to  designate  that  person  among 
us  who,  since  the  lamented  disappearance  of  our  esteemed 
colleague,  Dr.  Quies,  has  given  the  most  important  proofs 
of  his  great  ability  and  his  indefatigable  zeal.  I  have 
nominated  M.  Anthime  Bonamy."  (Cheers.) 


240  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Anthime,  although  he  was  flattered  by  the  applause 
with  which  his  name  had  been  received,  could  not  repress 
a  grimace  which  said  only  too  plainly,  "  I  could  readily 
have  dispensed  with  the  honour." 

He  added  mentally,  "If  Quies  were  but  here  now, 
what  a  splendid  opportunity  I  should  have  of  getting  rid 
of  him  ! " 

"  Gentlemen,"  continued  the  president,  "  it  is  not  with- 
out serious  sacrifices  that  a  society  like  ours  can  maintain 
the  position  which  it  has  acquired.  From  the  funds  at 
our  disposal  we  shall  have  to  allot  the  sum  of— 

At  that  point  the  voice  of  the  worthy  president  was 
suddenly  drowned  in  an  indescribable  tumult.  The  door 
had  opened  and  given  admission  to  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  in 
person.  The  members  sitting  at  the  end  of  the  room  had 
risen  at  the  sight  of  him  and  rushed  towards  him,  over- 
turning everything  that  came  in  their  way  in  their  eager- 
ness to  welcome  and  embrace  him  ;  hence  the  commotion, 
which  M.  de  Prechafoin  vainly  endeavoured  to  allay  by 
ringing  his  bell. 

Quies,  breathless,  panting,  bewildered,  as  red  as  a  peony, 
and  with  eyes  starting  out  of  his  head,  succeeded  at  length 
in  crossing  the  hall  and  reaching  the  platform  on  which 
the  president  sat.  At  sight  of  him  M.  de  Prechafoin  dropped 
his  bell,  overturned  the  table,  sprang  at  him,  and,  clasping 
him  in  his  arms,  exclaimed, — 

"  Alive  !  he  is  alive  ! " 

A  similar  exclamation,  but  uttered  in  a  far  different 
tone,  escaped  from  the  lips  of  M.  Anthime  Bonamy,  who 
fell  back  in  his  chair,  as  pale  as  death  saying  to  himself, 
'•  I  am  ruined. ' 

Nevertheless,  he  could  not  do  otherwise  than  put  out  a 
welcoming  hand  to  the  doctor,  over  whose  return  the  whole 
meeting  rejoiced.  What  did  not  the  effort  cost  him  ? 
Quies,  however,  was  too  strongly  moved  to  read  the  ex- 
pression of  his  countenance  aright,  and  the  members  of  the 
society  looked  at  no  one  but  the  illustrious  explorer  Quies. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfeS. 


241 


Anthime  was  utterly  forgotten  in  a  moment.  The 
members  wanted  the  doctor  to  give  them  a  narrative  of 
his  travels  and  the  adventures  that  had  befallen  him, 


"  Alive  !  he  is  alive  I" 


then  and  there  Questions  were  rained  upon  his  devoted 
head  like  hail  in  March.  He  did  not  know  whom  to 
listen  to,  he  could  not  answer,  and  he  would  have  been 
stifled  under  the  avalanche  had  not  the  president's  bell 
i5 


242  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 

recalled  the  curious  and  the  indiscreet  to  their  places  and 
their  good  manners. 

"  My  dear  colleagues,"  said  M.  de  Prechafoin,  in  an 
agitated  voice,  "the  unexpected  return  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies 
is  a  great  happiness  to  us,  and  my  own  especial  pleasure  in 
the  joyful  event  is  doubled  by  the  fact  that  I  am  enabled 
to  give  him  a  fresh  proof  of  my  admiration  and  sympathy. 
Our  esteemed  colleague,  M.  Anthime  Bonamy,  will  no 
doubt  forgive  me  for  imposing  upon  him  in  the  interests 
of  our  dear  friend  so  happily  restored  to  us,  a  sacrifice 
which  he  himself  would  have  been  the  first  to  make.  One 
individual  only  among  us  seems  to  me  to  be  worthy  of 
representing  the  learned  Society  of  Saint-Pignon  les 
Girouettes  in  Wallachia  ;  that  individual  is  Dr.  J.  B. 
Quies."  (Cheers.) 

"  Pardon  me,  my  dear  friend,"  stammered  Quies,  "  I 
cannot — " 

"  We  know  that  your  modesty  would  lead  you  to  decline 
such  an  honour,  but  you  must  accept  it ;  for  we  ask  you  to 
do  so  in  the  name  of  science." 

Quies  was  about  to  speak,  and  would,  no  doubt,  have 
assigned  excellent  reasons  in  justification  of  his  refusal, 
when  a  new-comer  burst  through  the  crowd,  and  im- 
petuously exclaimed, — 

"  We  accept.     Yes,  gentlemen,  we  accept " 

It  was  Magloire. 

The  doctor  was  so  astounded  that  the  words  he  was 
about  to  utter  stuck  in  his  throat. 

"  In  my  master's  name,"  continued  Magloire,  "  I  accept. 
I  know  him.  He  will  contradict  me,  perhaps,  but  it  is 
only  from  the  teeth  out.  I  have  been  with  him  in  all  his 
travels  ;  I  know  what  he  can  do.  He  will  stick  at 
nothing.  We  will  set  out  when  you  please." 

"  When  you  please  !  "  said  Quies,  in  the  midst  of  the 
noise.  "  Pardon  me  !  My  good  friend,  Anthime — 

"  Quite  right,"  said  M.  de  Prechafoin,  interrupting  him, 
and  then,  turning  to  M.  Bonamy,  he  asked  him  formally, — • 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfcS.  243 

"  Do  you  relinquish  the  honour  of  fulfilling  this  fresh 
mission  to  Dr.  Quies,  of  your  own  free  will  ?  " 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  exclaimed  Anthime. 

He  had  not  the  least  notion  of  refusing.  The  departure 
of  Quies  might  mean  the  rescue  of  his  three  hundred 
thousand  francs.  Anthime  did  not  desire  the  doctor's 
death.  No,  no,  of  course  he  did  not,  any  more  than  Mdme. 
Ragot  desired  it.  One  does  not  admit  anything  of  that 
kind  ;  but  if  Quies  should  happen  to  be  smashed  in  a 
railway  accident  anywhere  between  Saint-Pignon  les 
Girouettes  and  Turn-Severin — 

The  doctor,  however,  who  held  that  after  the  tribula- 
tions he  had  undergone,  repose  was  no  less  indispensable 
than  due  to  him,  objected. 

"  Anthime  has  a  prior  claim,"  said  he  ;  "  I  will  not  go." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  M.  de  Prechafoin.  "  If  our 
esteemed  colleagues  are  prepared  to  make  a  small 
pecuniary  sacrifice  on  this  occasion — " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  was  the  response  on  all  sides. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  propose  the  following  resolution 
to  the  meeting,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  perhaps  exaggerated 
scruples  of  our  dear  doctor  : — 

"  '  A  deputation  composed  of  two  members  is  to  be  sent 
to  the  Scientific  Congress  of  Turn-Severin  by  the  Geo- 
graphical, Numismatical,  and  Archa?ological  Society  of 
Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes.  These  two  members  are 
Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  and  M.  Anthime  Bonamy." 

It  was  unnecessary  to  proceed  to  the  vote :  prolonged 
cheering  bore  ample  testimony  to  the  unanimity  of  consent 
by  the  meeting. 

Quies,  terribly  troubled  at  finding  himself  again 
entrapped,  vainly  strove  to  obtain  a  hearing.  The  meeting 
broke  up  amid  tumultuous  excitement,  and  each  member 
went  off  to  talk  over  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  the  illustrious 
explorer  of  Central  Africa,  to  all  the  town. 

What  had  brought  Quies  to  the  Mairie  at  all?  Why 
had  he  not  gone  straight  home  ? 


244  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Our  answer  to  these  questions  is  that  he  had  gone 
Straight  home,  but,  finding  the  door  shut,  he  had  rung  the 
bell  at  Mdme.  Ragot's.  As,  however,  his  summons  was 
not  attended  to,  and  he  saw  a  number  of  people  about  the 
door  of  the  Mairie,  he  approached  the  group,  was  recog- 
nized, welcomed,  cheered,  and  pushed,  in  spite  of  himself, 
into  the  room  where  the  business  of  the  learned  society 
was  in  course  of  transaction,  and  whence  he  now  came 
forth,  crimson  with  rage,  and  escorted  by  Magloire,  whom 
he  saluted  with, — 

"  The  devil  take  you  ! " 

"  Monsieur  is  too  good." 

"  What  brings  you  here  ?  Who  told  you  where  I  was  ? 
Why  did  you  not  stay  at  Alexandria  ?  " 

"  Monsieur  evidently  rates  fidelity  and  intelligence  very 
low.  Why,  sir,  I  saw  you  talking  with  Captain  Poggen- 
beck,  and  observed  that  you  went  on  board  his  ship. 
You  did  not  come  back,  and  the  brig  sailed,  so  I  con- 
cluded you  had  forgotten  me.  Oh,  I  don't  owe  you 
any  grudge  for  that.  It's  all  right  for  a  savant  to  forget 
anybody  and  anything.  You  would  not  be  a  savant  if 
your  head  was  not  a  little —  However,  I  took  passage 
on  board  the  steam-packet,  in  order  to  rejoin  my  master, 
in  the  capacity  of  cook's  assistant.  At  Marseilles  I 
received  my  wages,  got  into  the  train,  and  came  here  direct, 
feeling  sure  that  Monsieur  would  require  two  or  three 
hours  at  home  before  setting  out  again." 

"  Magloire ! " 

"  Monsieur  ?  " 

"  I  dismiss  you." 

"No,  sir,  you  do  not  dismiss  me.  You  cannot  deprive 
yourself  of  a  servant  like  me.  .  You  might  go  all  round 
the  world,  and  not  meet  my  match  by  a  long  way." 

Quies  stopped  his  ears  to  shut  out  the  sound  of  that 
odious  voice.  Of  a  surety  Magloire  was  a  demon  sent  to 
beset  him  by  that  malignant  genius  who  had  thrust  him 
upon  a  terrible  course  in  which  he  could  not  stop  himself. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUl£S.  245 

A  deep  sigh  upheaved  his  manly  bosom  at  this  fatal 
thought,  and  tears  of  helpless  anger  rose  to  his  eyes. 
Nothing  resembles  the  tears  of  tenderness  so  closely  as 
those  of  vexation,  and  Gertrude,  who  had  returned  to  the 
house  in  all  haste,  being  apprised  by  public  rumour  of  her 
master's  return,  took  the  doctor's  tears  for  a  mark  of 
affection,  and  threw  herself  into  his  arms  with  sobs  of 
gratitude  and  joy. 

The  sight  of  Gertrude,  the  living  image  of  the  calm  and 


Gertrude  threw  herself  into  his  arms. 

repose  of  former  days,  acted  like  a  balm  upon  the  wounds 
of  poor  Quies.  The  repast,  which  she  served  up  to  him  as 
she  had  always  done  heretofore,  completed  his  cure. 

When  evening  came,  and  he  was  seated  before  his 
bureau,  which  he  found  precisely  as  he  had  left  it,  he  no 
longer  remembered  that  M.  de  Prechafoin  had  conferred  a 
scientific  mission  upon  him  ;  but  in  a  happy  mood,  con- 
tented with  his  lot,  he  thanked  God  for  the  protection  that 
had  been  extended  to  him  during  his  prolonged  trials. 

To  appreciate  the  blessing  of  a  well-made  bed — one's 


246  THE    STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"own  "  bed  —one  must  have  slept  at  an  inn.  We  acknow- 
ledge that  we  are  incapable  of  analyzing  the  delightful 
sensations  with  which  our  hero  slid  between  the  sheets, 
and  drew  his  eiderdown  coverlet  over  him,  for  the  first 
time  after  an  absence  of  more  than  six  months.  For  him 
the  past  no  longer  existed,  and  all  he  asked  from  the  future 
was  that  he  might  thus  retire  to  rest  every  night  betimes, 
and  rise  next  morning  as  late  as  possible. 

In  three  days  he  thought  not  at  all  of  the  fresh  danger 
that  menaced  him.  He  had  not  time.  The  whole  town 
of  Saint-Pignon  came  to  visit  him  during  those  three  days. 
In  thirty-six  hours  he  received  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  persons,  all  equally  animated  by  curiosity,  and  re- 
commenced the  narrative  of  his  adventures  two  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  times.  Let  us  remark,  in  parenthesis, 
that  he  had  revised,  corrected,  and  considerably  modified 
those  adventures  for  this  purpose. 

Ah,  well,  what  would  you  have !  One  does  not  lightly 
relinquish  the  title  of  "illustrious  explorer  of  Central  Africa." 
And  then  his  hearers  were  inclined  to  accept  all  that  he 
said  with  the  most  absolute  confidence.  Not  one  among 
them  allowed  himself  to  entertain  a  shadow  of  doubt.  The 
words  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  were  articles  of  faith. 

Mdme.  Ragot  formed  the  only  exception  to  this  unani- 
mity of  belief.  Her  perception  was  sharpened  by  her 
acute  disappointment  at  the  doctor's  return  (he  was  still 
wholly  unsuspicious  of  her  feelings),  and  she  detected  certain 
trifling  contradictions  and  some  hesitation  in  his  narrative. 
These  were  sufficient  to  convince  her  that  he  had  only 
escaped  by  a  miracle  from  the  consequences  of  the  fatigue 
and  misery  he  had  undergone  in  the  distant  travel  into 
which  he  had  been  dragged  against  his  will.  The  dis- 
covery was  a  ray  of  light  for  her.  She  went  off  post  haste 
to  Anthime. 

"  When  does  he  set  out  again  ? "  she  asked. 

"  When  ?     Do  you  imagine  that  he  will  go  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  247 

"  He  is  going  to  refuse  positively." 

"  He  must  not  refuse."  - 

"  How  can — " 

"  Hasten  the  time  of  starting.  Get  up  a  manifestation. 
Do  you  think  he  will  venture  to  acknowledge  his  weakness 
publicly  ?  " 

"  And  then  ?  " 

"  Then  ?     You  go  with  him  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  You  need  only  take  care  not  to  give  him  breathing 
time.  Hurry  on  his  journey." 

"Cousin,  cousin  ;  you  are  giving  me  terrible  ad  dee." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  It  would  be  murder !  If  he  succumb  to  the  fatigue, 
if  he — but  no,  no,  I  will  have  nothing  to  say  to  such  a 
plan  as  that." 

"Nor  I  either,"  replied  Mdme.  Ragot  drily.  The  fact 
was  that  Anthime  had  misinterpreted  her  words. 

"  I  don't  understand  you,  then  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  understand  that,  worn  out  as  he  is,  and 
completely  unable  for  any  more  fatigue,  he  will  be  the  first 
to  make  a  bargain  with  you  ;  that  he  will  gladly  purchase 
his  own  repose  and  your  silence  ?  " 

"  At  such  a  price  ?  " 

"  He  has  thirty  thousand  francs  a  year,  and  never  spends 
six  thousand." 

"  H'm  !  It's  a  good  idea  ;  but  it  would  be  a  delicate 
matter." 

Mdme.  Ragot  cast  upon  him  so  disdainful  a  look 
that  he  did  not  venture  to  urge  his  objection.  Neverthe- 
less he  could  not  regard  the  proposed  course  of  action 
with  complacency.  Anthime,  like  many  other  people, 
was  easily  accessible  to  evil  thoughts,  but  he  instinctively 
recoiled  from  wicked  actions.  Nevertheless,  he  followed 
the  advice  of  Mdme.  Ragot  by  hurrying  on  the  depar- 
ture of  the  deputation  f  om  Saint-Pignon,  and  urging 
that  exceptional  honour  should  be  paid  to  its  members. 


248  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Three  hundred  thousand  francs  !  One  could  make  up 
one's  mind  to  quarrel  with  Dame  Conscience  for  such  a 
sum  as  that. 

The  results  of  the  steps  taken  by  Anthime  was  that  one 
morning  the  fire  brigade  of  Saint-Pignon,  headed  by  the 
capta  n,  took  up  a  position  in  a  double  line  before  the  door 
of  Dr.  Quies.  A  moment  later  the  whole  of  the  learned 
Society  arrived,  in  white  cravats,  and  were  speedily  followed 
by  all  the  public  functionaries,  also  in  full  dress,  and 
escorted  by  a  considerable  portion  of  the  population,  bent 
on  bestowing  a  parting  cheer  on  the  dauntless  explorer. 

The  dauntless  explorer  was  sleeping  sweetly.  The 
drums  awoke  him,  he  hurriedly  dressed  himself,  and  with- 
out removing  the  knotted  handkerchief  that  he  wore  as  a 
nightcap,  he  advanced  to  the  threshold  of  his  dwelling 
in  order  to  ascertain  the  meaning  of  the  noise  and  the 
crowd. 

"What!  "  cried  Anthime,  who  had  just  arrived  in  a  hired 
carriage,  "  not  ready  yet ! " 

"  Ready  !     Ready  for  what  ? " 

"  Why,  to  start  for  Turn-Severin,  of  course." 

"  To  start  ? " 

"  Certainly,  and  this  very  morning.  What  have  you 
been  thinking  about  ?  Have  you  forgotten  the  honourable 
mission  that  has  been  entrusted  to  us  ? " 

Quies,  trembling  all  over,  looked  with  half-dazed 
dread  at  the  crowd  who  were  shouting,  gesticulating, 
and  waving  handkerchiefs,  at  the  firemen  who  presented 
arms,  and  at  the  drummers,  who  kept  up  a  perpetual  roll 
on  their  imposing  instruments.  He  concluded  that  he  was 
the  victim  of  an  hallucination. 

It  was  as  we  have  ?aid;  he  had  forgotten  ! 

"  But,  my  dear  friend,"  he  stammered  feebly,  "  my 
trunks  are  not  packed." 

"  Oh,  yes,  they  are,  sir  !  yes  they  are  !  "  cried  Magloire, 
who  suddenly  made  his  appearance.  "  See  !  " 

He  dragged  two  boxes  behind  him  with  one  hand,  and 


UR.    J.    B.    QUIES. 


249 


held  in  the  other  an  umbrella,  three  canes,  a  field-glass,  a 
travelling-bag-,  and  a  number  of  small  parcels;  thus  afford- 
ing abundant  proof  of  the  zealous  care  with  which  he  had 


Quies  looked  with  half-dazed  dread  at  the  crowd. 

been   making  preparations   for  departure  during  the  last 
three  days. 

"  This  fellow   again !      Always     this    fellow  !  "    sighed 
Quies. 


250 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


Taken  unawares,  and  brought  to  bay,  he  vainly  strove 
to  shield  himself  from  the  violence  thus  done  to  his  tastes 
and  feelings.  He  was  obliged  to  go  and  don  a  travelling 
costume.  In  ten  minutes  he  reappeared,  and  was  greeted 
by  the  town  band  with  a  flourish  of  trumpets  egregiously  out 
of  tune.  M.  de  Prechafoin  spoke  a  few  well-chosen  words 
on  the  auspicious  occasion,  which  were  received  with 
enthusiastic  cheers.  The  ceremony  of  leave-taking  began. 
Quies  was  solemnly  embraced  by  Mdme.  Ragot  and  Ger- 
trude, who  declared  that  she  "  would  not  have  believed  it 
of  him,"  by  the  members  of  the  learned  society  of  Saint- 
Pignon,  by  officials,  relations,  and  the  captain  of  the  fire 
brigade  ;  then,  with  cheeks  tingling  unpleasantly  from 
these  caresses,  he  got  into  the  carriage  with  Anthime  and 
Maglolre. 

The  band  began  to  play  again,  a  last  hurrah  was  raised, 
the  driver  whipped  up  his  horse,  and  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  had 
started  on  this  second  involuntary  journey,  which  was  to 
lead  to  consequences  a  thousand  times  more  terrible  than 
those  of  his  preceding  peregrinations. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUI&S.  251 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

SHOWING  HOW  DR.  J.  B.  QUIES,  HAVING  SLEPT  FROM 
PARTS  TO  VIENNA,  AND  FROM  VIENNA  TO  PESTH, 
SNORED  FROM  PESTH  TO  TURN-SEVERIN. 

"  ARE  you  quite  sure  of  what  you  tell  me  ? "  asked 
Anthime. 

"  Absolutely  certain,  sir,"  replied  Magloire.  "  I  never 
left  my  master  for  a  moment  from  the  day  when  I  found 
him  in  the  desert.  With  him  I  travelled  through 

o 

Nigritia,  the  Egyptian  Soudan,  the  desert  of  Korosko,  and 
Lower  Egypt." 

"  It  is  incredible  !  And  the  doctor,  of  his  own  free  will, 
has—" 

"  Ah,  sir,  you  don't  know  him.  He  cannot  remain  in 
one  place.  Each  time  that  he  halts  he  says,  '  I  will  go  no 
farther.'  But  that  is  all  fudge  ;  two  days  after  he  will 
insist  on  setting  out  again.  And  I  understand  that 
perfectly — space,  adventure,  the  unknown  !  Ah,  that  is 
life!" 

While  Magloire  went  off,  radiant,  to  register  the 
luggage,  repeating,  "  that  is  life,"  Anthime  was  reflecting 
on  what  he  had  said. 

"  So  then,"  he  thought,  "  Cousin  Ragot  will  be  left  just 
where  she  is,  after  all  her  fond  imaginings,  and  I  stand  to 
lose  my  three  hundred  thousand  francs,  without  taking 
into  account  that  I  shall  have  the  journey  to  Wallachia, 
and  probably  incur  life  long  rheumatism,  in  the  cause  of 
science." 

The  conversation  which  we  have  recorded  took  place  in  a 


252  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

waiting-room  at  the  station  from  which  our  travellers  were 
to  start  by  the  express  for  Vienna. 

From  Vienna  to  Pesth  is  a  mere  nothing.  Once  at 
Pesth,  it  is  only  child's-play  to  go  down  the  Danube,  and 
indeed  such  an  expedition  would  be  regarded  as  a  pleasure 
trip  by  anybody  except  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies.  To  him,  how- 
ever, we  need  hardly  repeat,  it  was  unmixed  suffering. 
He  had  left  the  taking  of  the  tickets  to  Anthime,  and  the 
responsibility  of  looking  after  the  trunks  to  Magloire,  and 
all  aione  in  his  wretchedness  he  walked  to  and  fro,  with 
his  arms  crossed  upon  his  breast,  in  the  attitude  of  a 
martyr  who  has  nothing  more  to  expect  except  the  de- 
scent of  the  executioner's  sword.  Magloire's  voice  came 
suddenly  to  remind  him  that  he  was  not  in  the  arena,  and 
that  the  only  wild  beasts  about  him  were  travellers. 

"  It  is  all  right,"  said  Magloire. 

Quies  raised  his  eyes,  looked  at  him  as  if  he  had  not 
understood  him,  and  led  him  towards  a  pillar. 

"  Have  you,"  he  asked  sternly,  "sounded  the  intentions 
of  our  travelling  companion  ?  " 

"  Sounded,  sir  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Do  you  know  whether  he  has  a  passion  for 
travelling  — whether  his  love  of  science  may  impel  him  to 
risk  his  health,  his  life,  in  a  distant  exploration  ?  " 

"  He ! "  replied  Magloire  disdainfully  ;  "  he  is  not  a 
patch  upon  you,  sir." 

"  Ah  ! " 

"  I  am  much  afraid  that  before  two  days  are  over  we 
shall  be  obliged  to  leave  him  behind.  He  does  not  burn 
with  the  sacred  fire,  like  my  master." 

"  He  sticks  to  it,"  said  Quies  to  himself. 

"  Never  will  his  name  be  famous  like  the  name  of  my 
master." 

"  Ah  !  very  well,  Magloire,  that  will  do.     Thank  you." 

Magloire's  judgment  passed  upon  our  two  savants  had  a 
two  fold  result. 

Anthime,  being  convinced  that  Dr.  Quies  was  in  reality 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  253 

an  indefatigable  traveller,  and  that  he  had  formerly  hidden 
his  hand  solely  for  the  purpose  of  securing  an  unshared 
renown,  considered  it  useless  to  give  the  wheel  a  push,  and 
relinquished  Mdme.  Ragot's  plan,  provisionally. 

Quies,  on  his  side,  being  convinced  that  Anthime  had 
set  out  on  this  journey  against  his  inclination,  and,  being 
as  little  adventurous  as  himself,  would  soon  cry  off,  thought 
that  he  could  not  do  better  than  play  the  part  which  had 
been  thrust  upon  him  by  Magloire's  strange  whim.  He 
would  thereby  save  his  own  reputation,  and  throw  the 
onus  of  the  failure  of  their  enterprise  upon  his  companion. 
He  accordingly  assumed  such  an  off-hand  air  on  entering 
the  waiting-room  that  Anthime  was  profoundly  astonished, 
and  said  to  himself, — 

"  Magloire  tells  the  truth  ;  he  would  go  to  the  other  end 
of  the  world." 

At  the  same  moment  Ouies  was  thinking,  "  Magloire  is 
right ;  this  fellow  will  cry  off  before  twenty-four  hours  are 
over." 

The  twenty-four  hours  elapsed,  but  Anthime  did  not 
display  the  least  wish  to  stop  or  to  return.  The  travellers 
reached  Vienna,  and  again  took  train  for  Buda-Pesth. 
Anthime  did  not  exhibit  the  slightest  symptom  of  giving 
in. 

"He  has  more  'go'  in  him  than  I  thought,"  sighed 
Quies. 

"  He  is  made  of  iron,"  growled  Anthime. 
The  truth  was  they  were  both  exhausted,  and  it  would 
be   hard   to  tell  which  of  the  two  longed   most  ardently 
for  his  bed. 

We  should  have  been  glad  to  give  some  details  of  the 
journey  from  Paris  to  Vienna,  from  consideration  for 
those  among  our  readers  who  are  curious  to  know  some- 
thing of  the  countries  through  which  our  travellers  passed. 
But,  in  addition  to  its  being  well  known  that  one  travels 
by  rail  in  order  not  to  see,  but  to  arrive,  it  would  be  a 
difficult  task  to  supply  information  upon  the  subject,  as 


254 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


Dr.   Quies's  notes,  which  we  have  consulted,  contain  the 

following  observations  only  :  — 

"  Epernay. — Took    a    bouillon ;    paid    for    a    wing    of 

chicken,  which  I  had  not  time  to  eat.    Magloire  is  radiant. 

I  cannot  bear  the  fellow's  face. 

"  The  Frontier. — Our  luggage  has  been   searched,  and 

three  of  the  instruments  entrusted  to  us  by  the  Society  of 

Saint-Pignon   have  been  broken.     I   am  too  ill  to  care. 

Took  a  glass  of  kirsch,  and 
am  better.  My  legs  can 
hardly  carry  me.  Anthime 
does  not  appear  to  suffer  at 
all.  The  beer  at  the  refresh- 
ment-room is  very  good. 

"  Vienna.  — \  have  slept 
for  twenty  hours,  and  am 
still  quite  bewildered.  I 
regret  that  I  have  not  been 
able  to  cast  a  glance  upon 
the  country  we  have  passed 
through.  Anthime  will  un- 
dertake that  portion  of  the 
narrative  of  our  journey. 
We  alight  at  the  Hotel  of 
the  Three  Emperors. 

"  Buda-Pesth—  I  havesuf- 
fered  so  severely  in  my 
head  and  limbs  that  I  can- 


The  beer  at  the  refreshment-room  is 
very  good. " 


not  attempt  any  description.  Arrived  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon." 

Once  at  Pesth,  Quies  considered  that  he  had  come  quite 
far  enough  from  Saint-Pignon,  and,  taking  the  return 
journey  into  account,  had  given  amply  sufficient  proof 
of  his  zeal  and  intrepidity. 

He  believed,  too,  that  Anthime  did  not  really  desire  to  go 
any  farther.  If  he  did  not  say  so,  it  was  simply  because 
he  was  afraid  to  take  the  initiative,  and  it  would  be  the  act 


DR.   J.   B.   QUl£S.  255 

of  a  good  friend  and  comrade  to  come  to  his  aid  and  get 
him  to  confess  the  truth.  Once  agreed  upon  the  main 
point — that  they  did  not  wish  to  go  on — they  could 
easily  bring  their  united  strength  of  will  to  bear  upon  the 
resistance  of  Magloire.  As  for  his  discretion,  that  would 
be  merely  a  matter  of  money. 

Quies,  while  maturing  this  project,  was  scaling  the 
heights  of  the  old  Hungarian  city  of  Buda,  whither  he 
had  been  dragged  by  Anthime  and  Mag'oire,  who  were 
curious  to  behold  the  magnificent  panorama  of  the  two 
cities,  the  Danube  which  divides,  and  the  iron  bridge  which 
reunites  them. 

Dead  tired,  and  deeply  preoccupied  as  he  was,  he  could 
not  entirely  free  himself  from  a  sensation  of  admiration 
when,  having  reached  the  foot  of  the  citadel,  he  turned 
round  and  cast  his  eyes  upon  the  horizon. 

Beneath  him,  the  river,  wrapped  in  a  thin  transparent 
haze,  spread  out  its  immense  sheet  of  water,  flecked  with 
little  islands,  and  dotted  over  with  various  kinds  of  craft. 
The  city  of  Pesth  glittered  in  the  sun  in  its  modern  Euro- 
pean garb,  and  seemed  to  smile  on  Buda,  its  elder  sister,  so 
sombre,  so  full  of  the  memory  of  the  mother  country. 
But  good  Dr.  Quies  had  seen  too  much  ;  his  enthusiasm 
lasted  for  no  longer  time  than  a  shooting  star  takes  to 
appear  and  disappear.  He  was  waiting  for  a  favourable 
opportunity  of  inducing  Anthime  to  unbosom  himself, 
when  the  latter,  placing  his  hand  on  the  doctor's  arm, 
said, — 

"  You  see  that  city,  Quies  ? " — he  pointed  to  Buda — 
"  Attila  halted  there." 

"  Attila  !     Ah  !  ah  !  " 

"  Yes,  Attila,  on  whom  you  have  written  such  a  fine 
essay." 

"  My  dear  friend,  how  do  you  know  that  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  was  read  at  a  meeting." 

"Where?" 

"  At  Saint-Pignon." 


256  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"You  don't  say  so  !     It  was  not  finished." 

"  Gertrude  handed  it  over  just  as  it  was." 

"  She  was  very  wrong  ;  but  servants  are  never  to  be 
trusted." 

"  Why  should  you  complain  ?  You  owe  one  of  the 
greatest  triumphs  of  your  life  to  that  essay.  Whatever 
the  journey  we  have  undertaken  may  bring  to  us — 

"Oh,"  said  Quies  negligently,  "  I  don't  reckon  much  on 
its  results." 

"  Ah  ! " 

"  No,  indeed.  What  shall  we  find  at  this  congress  ? 
Fourth-rate  savants,  and  no  more.  A  congress  at  Turn- 
Severin  !  In  Wallachia  !  I  put  it  to  you  !  We  shall  hear 
some  insignificant  speeches  on  questions  of  purely  local 
interest.  It  is  a  great  deal  of  fatigue  for  very  little.  Don't 
you  think  so  ? " 

"  What  is  he  driving  at  ? "  said  Anthime  to  himself;  but 
he  answered  aloud, — 

"Yes,  certainly." 

"  Don't  you  think  with  me,"  continued  Quies,  "  that  it 
would  be  a  very  good  thing  to  refrain  from  throwing  away 
the  Society's  money  for  such  poor  results  ? " 

"  Hum  !  ha  !  " 

"  No  doubt  we  ought  to  have  placed  these  considera- 
tions before  M.  de  Prechafoin  before  starting  on  this  ill- 
judged  expedition  ;  it  is,  however,  never  too  late  to  acknow- 
ledge that  one  has  been  mistaken." 

Taking  Anthime's  ejaculatory  utterances  for  tokens  of 
assent,  Quies  went  on  : — 

"  I  think,  then,  that  the  wisest  plan  is  to  go  no 
farther." 

"  In  fact,  you  don't  care  to  do  so  ?  " 

"  You  are  right.  My  prolonged  exploration  in  Africa 
has  tired  me  more  than  I  was  aware  of,  and — " 

"  And  you  are  going  to  sacrifice  the  interests  of 
science  to  this  momentary  weakness  ? "  said  M.  Bonamy 
severely. 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  257 

"What?" 

"  You  are  going  to  throw  away  all  the  renown  you  have 
gained  ?  How  are  you  to  show  your  face  to  our  col- 
leagues ?  How  can  you  confess  to  them  ?" 

"  We  can  allege  that  from  information  gained  on  the 
way  we  were  convinced  that — ' 

"  Surely  you  don't  think  of  such  a  thing  ?  "  exclaimed 
Anthime.  "  As  for  me,  I  certainly  shall  not  violate  my 
conscience." 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  " 

"  My  duty  is  to  go  on  to  the  end.  I  shall  go.  My  duty 
is  to  state  hereafter  to  the  Society  of  Saint-Pignon  that 
you  have  betrayed  its  confidence." 

"  Oh  !  oh  : 

"  I  shall  state  the  fact." 

Anthime  expected  that  Ouies  would  quail  at  this ;  he 
hoped  the  present  would  turn  out  to  be  that  opportunity 
for  the  sale  of  his  silence  which  Mdme.  Ragot  had 
foreseen.  To  his  great  surprise  Quies  quietly  settled  his 
spectacles  on  his  nose,  and  replied,  dwelling  ironically  on 
his  words, — 

"You — will  — state — the — fact!  Very  well,  my  good 
friend.  Just  as  you  please." 

He  had  burned  his  boats  !  Little  cared  he  about  the 
results  of  that  impulsive  action.  His  only  object  was  to 
avoid  going  on. 

Anthime,  on  finding  that  threats  and  severity  had  failed, 
endeavoured  by  gentler  methods  to  induce  Quies  to  relin- 
quish a  decision  which  upset  all  his  plans. 

"  No,  no  !  "  he  answered  ;  "  I  am  tired  !  I  stop  at  this 
point  ! " 

'"But—" 

"  I  will  not  go  a  step  farther." 

"  Reflect !  Remember  that  I  am  going  alone  to  gather 
the  fruit — " 

"  I  do  not  dispute  it  with  you." 

"  You  will  allow  me  to  go  on  alone  ? " 
17 


258  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  Without  the  very  slightest  hesitation." 

"  Tut,  tut !  Let  Monsieur  alone  !  "  cried  Magloire, 
briskly  approaching  them.  "  I  know  the  doctor.  The 
boat  for  Turn-Severin  starts  to-morrow  morning  at  day- 
break. I  lay  you  a  wager  that  the  doctor  will  be  aboard 
before  we  shall." 

Quies  hummed  the  familiar  song,  "J'ai  du  tabac  dans 
ma  t'jbatttre  ;  "  and,  turning  to  Anthime,  said, — 

"  My  dear  friend,  I  confide  Magloire  to  you.  Indeed,  I 
give  him  to  you.  He  is  a  valuable  servant  ;"  and  then  he 
added,  very  low,  so  as  not  to  be  heard,  "  of  whom  I  am 
heartily  glad  to  be  rid." 

He  shook  Anthime  by  the  hand,  and  came  down  from 
the  citadel  of  Buda  much  more  briskly  than  he  had  gone 
up.  Re-entering  the  city,  he  crossed  the  Danube,  got  his 
valise  at  the  Ungaria  Hotel,  and  repaired  to  the  station 
with  the  firm  intention  of  taking  his  ticket  for  France, 
Paris,  and  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes. 

Ever  since  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  had  attained  the  age  of 
reason,  railway-stations,  diligence-offices,  and  all  places 
whatever  generally  affected  to  the  purposes  of  locomotion, 
rapid  or  slow,  had  produced  a  most  painful  impression 
upon  him.  He  had,  however,  entered  the  station,  and  had 
taken  out  his  purse,  when  he  was  startled  by  the  shrill 
whistle  of  the  locomotive. 

Then  did  the  terrible  recollection  of  his  past  travels 
recur  to  him  more  acutely  than  ever.  He  began  to  think 
that  it  was  very  far  from  Pesth  to  Paris  ;  that  Pesth  is  an 
exceedingly  comfortable  city,  beautifully  situated  upon  a 
magnificent  river ;  that  the  climate  of  Hungary  is  remark- 
ably healthy  ;  that  the  people  are  hospitable  and  sympa- 
thetic ;  in  a  word,  that  one  might  live  as  happily  there  as 
in  any  other  place  in  the  world. 

He  replaced  his  purse  in  his  pocket,  walked  out  of  the 
railway-station,  re-entered  the  Hotel  Ungaria,  and  went  up 
to  the  room  he  had  recently  vacated.  There  he  wrote  the 
following  letter  to  Maitre  Grimblot : — 


DR.  J.   B.   QUIES.  259 

"MY  DEAR  GRIMBLOT, — You  will  have  the  goodness, 
on  receipt  of  this  letter,  and  counting  from  to-day  until 
you  receive  further  instructions,  to  forward  the  amount  of 
my  income  to  Pesth  (Hungary)  through  the  house  of 
Jacobsheim  and  Co. — I  am,  &c.,  &c." 

He  put  this  letter  in  the  post  with  his  own  hand,  and 
immediately  set  about  finding  a  suitable  abode. 

"  It  happens,  fortunately,"  said  the  hotel-keeper,  to  whom 
he  applied  in  the  first  instance,  "that  one  of  our  customers 
has  a  house  to  let,  which,  I  should  think,  would  be  the 
very  thing  for  you.  He  is  a  very  accommodating  person." 
.  "  Kindly  give  me  his  address." 

"  I  need  not,  sir  ;  here  he  comes." 

"  The  hotel-keeper  pointed  out  to  Quies  a  tall,  stout 
man,  with  a  merry  face,  who,  although  he  was  a  Hungarian, 
looked  remarkably  like  a  Frenchman.  He  did  not  wear 
the  tight-fitting  breeches,  the  tasselled  boots,  the  furred 
cap,  the  aigrette,  or  in  short  any  of  the  articles  ot 
costume  that  belong  distinctively  to  Hungarians.  He 
was  dressed  in  thick  cloth  paletot  and  a  pair  of 
grey  trousers,  which  must  have  been  bought  at  La  Belle 
Jardiniere. 

Quies  went  up  to  him.  At  the  first  words  which  he 
uttered  his  future  landlord  exclaimed, — 

"  Sir,  you  are  French  !  " 

"I  am,  sir,  at  your  service.  J.  B.  Quies,  Doctor  of 
Sciences,  Member  of  the  Geogr — 

"  Shake  hands  !  French  !  The  French  are  our  friends, 
sir.  I  myself  am  Hungarian  !  Hungarian  of  the  old 
stock  !  You  may  ransack  the  genealogy  of  my  family  ; 
you  will  not  find  a  schwarzgelbe  (black  or  yellow  ;  that  is 
to  say,  Austrian)  alliance  in  it.  We  are  thought  to  be  con- 
quered, sir ;  we  are  thought  to  be  dead,  but  no,  Hungary 
is  not  dead  ! "  . 

"  I  do  not  assert,  sir  ;  I  have  never  asserted — ' 

"  No  more  is  France,  sir  !  France  is  the  sister  of 
Hungary  !  I  am  forty-five  years  old  ;  but  when  the  day 


2<5o 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


"  How,  alas  ! 


comes  for  drawing  the  sword,  I  shall  be  ready  !     I,  Karl 
Briinner." 

"  Cattle-breeder  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  cattle-breeder.  And  in  all  the  Purzla  you  will 
find  no  herds  equal  to  mine." 

"  I  know  them  !  "  said  Quies  with  a  sigh. 
"  You  know  them  ?  " 
"  Alas  ! " 

Grand  beasts  ! " 

"  They  played  me  an  ill  trick,  how- 
ever." 

Herr  Briinner's  curiosity  triumphed 
for  a  while  over  his  patriotism  and  his 
conceit,  and  he  listened  greedily  to  the 
narrative  which  Dr.  Quies  gave  (in  a 
much  abridged  form)  of  his  deplorable 
journey  from  Melun  to  Marseilles,  and 
from  Marseilles  to  the  far  end  of  the 
Mediterranean. 

Touched,  even  to  tears,  by  the  doc- 
tor's piteous  tale,   Herr   Karl    grasped 
both  his  hands  so  heartily  as  to  cause 
him  considerable  discomfort,   and  pro- 
tested     that,    Hungary     and     France 
being   sisters,    the    Hungarian    should 
make    reparation     to    the    Frenchman 
Karl  Biunner.         for   the    involuntary    wrong   which    he 
had  done  him. 

In  the  opinion  of  Herr  Karl  Briinner,  who  had  disposed 
of  a  very  good  breakfast,  the  best  means  of  doing  this  was 
by  a  still  better  dinner.  He  ordered  then  and  there  a 
banquet  for  the  doctor  and  himself  which  would  have  made 
five  or  six  ordinary  diners-out  stare.  Quies  did  not  think 
it  right  to  decline  this  patriotic  invitation,  and  took  his 
place  with  a  cheerful  countenance.  While  they  were  wait- 
ing for  the  soup,  Herr  Briinner  had  ordered  some  seltzer- 
water  and  several  bottles  of  a  white  wine,  much  esteemed  in 


DR.  J.   B.   QUltS. 


26l 


Hungary.  At  the  fourth  tumbler  of  this  insinuating  beve- 
rage, the  doctor  felt  his  head  unusually  hot,  and  thought  it 
necessary  to  drink,  in  order  to  dispel  a  curious  dimness 
that  had  come  over  his  sight.  At  the  end  of  the  first 


He  stood  up  on  a  chair,  and,  with  eyes  aflame,  addressed  the  company. 

course  he  was  drinking  glass  for  glass  with  Briinner,  and 
shouting  "  France  and  Hungary  !  "  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 
At  dessert,  he  maintained  lustily  that  he,  Quies,  was  at 
heart  a  Magyar,  and  that  he  deeply  regretted  his  having 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


been  born  at  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes ;  a  declaration 
which  elicited  from  all  the  Hungarians  present  in  the  hotel 
dining-room  loud  and  endless  "Vivats!"  and  shouts  of 
0  Franczia  baratom  "  (Frenchman-friend). 


He  fell  soundly  asleep. 

Quies  began  to  see  all  the  lights  of  the  vast  dining-room 
dancing  about  him.  as  well  as  the  exotic  flowers  in  a  con- 

c>  * 

servatory  off   the    vestibule.      Indeed    he    seemed    to  be 
dancing  himself. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfiS.  263 

A  group  of  gipsy  musicians  suddenly  struck  up  one  of 
those  strange,  wild  strains  which  have  so  powerful  an  effect 
upon  the  poetic  imagination  of  the  Hungarians.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  air,  all  the  persons  present  joined  in  a 
patriotic  song  with  the  chorus  "  Forward  !  onwards !  " 
accompanied  by  the  gipsies,  and  this  put  the  finishing 
stroke  to  the  doctor's  condition,  depriving  him  of  the 
last  glimmer  of  reason. 

He  stood  up  on  a  chair,  and  with  eyes  aflame,  like  the 
ancient  Pythoness  upon  her  tripod,  addressed  the  company. 
What  did  he  say  ?  Many  things  ;  but  amongst  the  rest 
that  he  was  a  member  of  the  French  Society  of  Saint- 
Pignon,  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  Congress  at  Turn- 
Severin,  that  the  renown  of  his  future  works  would  be 
reflected  upon  his  friends  then  present,  and  that  he  dedi- 
cated his  next  treatise  by  anticipation  to  the  Hungarian 
fatherland  !  From  that  moment  the  enthusiasm  of  his 
hearers  rose  to  frenzy.  It  was  then  about  midnight.  At 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  by  torchlight,  and  escorted 
by  the  gipsy  musicians  playing  the  Racoczy  march,  Dr. 
J.  B.  Quies  was  carried  in  triumph  on  board  the 
fine  steamer  Nagy-Sandor,  where  he  fell  so  soundly  asleep 
that  he  heard  neither  the  noise  of  the  start,  nor  the  voice 
of  Magloire,  who  said  to  Anthime  as  he  showed  him  the 
sleeping  form  of  his  travelling  companion, — 

"  I  should  have  been  much  astonished  had  I  not  found 
my  master  on  board.  I  would  bet  that  he  was  here  before 
us." 

"  I  cannot  get  over  it !  He  is  sleeping  as  if  he  were  in 
his  own  bed  !  " 


264  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

SHOWING  IN  WHAT  MANNER  DR.  J.  B.  QUIES  AND  M. 
BONAMY  HAD  IT  PROVED  TO  THEM,  TO  THEIR  COST, 
THAT  IT  IS  SOMETIMES  WELL  TO  BE  MODEST. 

IT  must  be  admitted  that  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies'  notes  regarding 
the  course  of  the  Danube  from  Pesth  to  Belgrade  are  very 
incomplete.  This  deficiency,  which  is  much  to  be  regretted, 
may,  however,  be  sufficiently  explained  by  the  fact  that 
during  the  river-voyage  the  doctor  was  sound  asleep.  In- 
deed, if  he  had  been  awake  he  might  have  found  it  difficult 
to  record  anything  more  than  the  existence  of  the  fog 
which  shrouds  the  river  and  its  course  at  that  period  of 
the  year.  At  most  he  could  only  have  seen  the  sand-hills, 
marshes,  interminable  plains,  and  innumerable  islets,  which 
have  to  be  passed  before  this  monotonous  passage  gives  place 
to  a  region  in  which  mountains  stand  like  inaccessible 
citadels  on  the  edge  of  their  wide-spreading  moat  always 
full  of  water. 

The  weather  was  favourable,  and  the  voyage  was  in  all 
respects  prosperous,  up  to  the  hour  at  which  Dr.  Quies 
awoke,  yawned,  stretched  his  arms,  and  rubbed  his  eyes. 

Having  ascertained  the  average  speed  of  the  steamboats 
upon  the  Danube,  it  will  be  easy  to  calculate  the  duration 
of  the  doctor's  sleep,  when  we  know  that  he  awoke  just  as 
the  Nagy-Sandor  was  passing  the  famous  "  Iron  Gates,'' 
as  the  once  formidable,  but  now  insignificant  rocks 
and  rapids,  two  hours'  journey  above  Turn-Severin,  are 
called. 


DR.   J.    B.   QUlfcS.  265 

When  Dr.  Quies  had  fully  recovered  his  conscious- 
ness and  self-command  he  made  the  calculation  above- 
mentioned,  with  sufficient  exactness  to  comprehend  that  he 
was  very  far  from  his  point  of  departure.  This  discovery 
plunged  him  into  the  deepest  despondency,  rapidly  suc- 
ceeded by  such  an  ebullition  of  wrath,  that  he  received 
Anthime  Bonamy,  who  offered  him  his  hand,  and  Magloire, 
who  saluted  him  respectfully,  with  a  torrent  of  abusive 
epithets. 

"  This  is  infamous  treachery  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I  had 
declared  that  !  would  not  listen  to  a  word  more  about 
the  ridiculous  Congress  at  Turn-Severin  ;  that  I  would 
not  go  there  !  " 

"  My  dear  colleague — " 

"  I  have  been  given  a  narcotic,  and  placed  on  this  detest- 
able engine  of  locomotion  in  my  sleep  !  " 

"  Oh,  doctor—" 

"  Hold  your  tongue  !  And  now,  where  am  I  ?  When 
shall  I  come  to  a  stop  ?  " 

Quies  was  striding  to  and  fro  upon  the  deck  of  the 
steamboat,  while  he  repeated,  "  Where  am  I  ?  When 
shall  I  come  to  a  stop  ? "  He  pulled  his  hair,  struck  his 
head  with  his  clenched  hands,  and,  in  short,  displayed  strong 
symptoms  of  mental  alienation.  The  passengers  began  to 
take  notice  of  him,  and  asked  each  other  what  could  be  the 
cause  of  his  vehement  emotion,  which  was  incomprehen- 
sible to  them. 

Magloire,  being  very  tenacious  of  his  master's  dignity 
and  the  honour  of  the  learned  body  of  Saint-Pignon,  was 
alarmed  lest  there  should  be  among  the  passengers  some 
learned  delegate  to  the  Congress  at  Turn-Severin,  upon 
whom  the  doctor's  incoherent  words  might  produce  a 
painful  effect.  He  therefore  thought  proper  to  announce, 
in  a  loud  voice  and  in  the  German  language,  that 
there  was  no  cause  for  uneasiness  respecting  his  manner, 
and  as  Quies  did  not  grow  calmer,  he  explained  that  the 
doctor  had  just  lost  an  almost  priceless  article,  an  instru- 


266 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS    OF 


ment  of  extraordinary  precision,  indispensable  to  the  cal- 
culations which  he  intended  to  make  at  the  Congress  of 
Turn-Severin. 


They  all  set  to  work,  bent  double,  to  seek  for  the  lost  instrument. 

The    Servians,  the    Wallachians,  and  the  Hungarians, 
with  whom  the  deck  of  the  steamboat  was  crowded,  were 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  267 

evidently  very  good-natured  people,  for  Magloire  had  hardly 
concluded  his  explanation  when  they  all  set  to  work, 
bent  double,  to  seek  on  all  sides  of  them  for  the  lost 
instrument,  as  eagerly  as  though  they  were  looking  for  the 
crown  jewels  of  Hungary. 

The  doctor,  who  was,  as  we  have  often  said,  the  most 
good-natured  man  in  the  world,  seeing  all  these  people 
stooping  down  and  busily  seeking  for  something,  naturally 
supposed  that  one  of  them  had  just  lost  an  article  of 
importance.  His  anger  gave  place  to  the  instinctive  desire 
to  oblige  one  of  his  companions  in  misfortune,  and,  without 
knowing  what  they  were  looking  for,  he  also  doubled 
himself  nearly  in  two,  and  went  searching  about  the  deck 
like  the  others,  to  the  unspeakable  amusement  of 
Magloire,  who  laughed  until  he  fairly  cried.  On  board  a 
French  steamer  his  laughter  would  inevitably  have  betrayed 
the  jester  and  brought  him  into  trouble ;  but,  on  the  Danube, 
Magloire  was  allowed  to  laugh  without  being  questioned 
as  to  the  case  of  his  hilarity.  Several  passengers,  more 
patient  and  obstinate  than  the  others,  were  still  looking 
for  the  lost  instrument  when  the  boat  touched  the  landing- 
place. 

Tourists  who  seek  local  colour  in  their  travels  ought 
not  to  go  to  Turn-Severin.  There  they  will  find  nothing 
but  a  modern  city  of  the  European  type,  and  as  everybody 
has  seen  it  just  because  it  is  that  sort  of  place,  we  are 
fortunately  dispensed  from  the  obligation  of  describing  it. 

The  only  monument  that  at  first  attracts  attention  is 
a  tower,  now  in  ruins,  which  was  built  at  the  time  of  the 
Roman  rule  in  Mcesia,  by  a  certain  Severinus,  governor  of 
the  said  province.  Hence  the  strange  name  of  Turn- 
Severin  bestowed  upon  the  town  by  its  founders. 

A  crowd,  which  might  be  called  considerable,  was 
collected  to  witness  the  landing  of  the  delegate  members 
of  the  Society  of  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes,  France. 

Who  was  the  indiscreet  person  that  had  announced  their 
arrival  ? 


268  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

There  is  grave  reason  for  suspecting  Magloire.  At  all 
events,  if  it  were  not  he,  it  assuredly  was  not  Dr.  Quies,  for 
the  poor  doctor  responded  more  than  languidly  to  the 
enthusiastic  demonstrations  with  which  he  was  received. 
He  would  have  been  much  better  pleased  to  be  allowed  to 
go  quietly  to  his  hotel  and  have  his  dinner  as  quickly  as 
might  be.  He  was,  on  the  contrary,  obliged  to  walk  for 
the  distance  of  two  kilometers  on  the  bank  of  the  Danube 
in  the  company  of  Anthime  and  Magloire,  and  escorted  by 
the  crowd,  before  he  reached  the  ruins  of  Trajan's  bridge, 
the  place  selected  for  the  interesting  labours  of  the 
Congress. 

One  of  the  principal  questions  to  be  discussed  had  refer- 
ence to  these  ruins. 

The  point  to  be  debated  was  whether  it  was  at  this  spot 
that  the  gigantic  bridge,  nine  hundred  feet  in  width,  with 
twenty  arches,  each  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  in  height  and  sixty  in  span,  had  been  constructed  by 
Apollodorus,  of  Damascus,  at  the  command  of  Trajan. 
It  was  agreed  that  nothing  short  of  the  erudition  of  Dr. 
J.  B.  Quies  and  M.  Anthime  Bonamy  would  suffice  to 
solve  this  problem. 

Such  was  the  sense  of  the  discourse  addressed  to  our 
two  savants  by  the  president  of  the  Congress,  in  the 
Roumanian  tongue.  Quies,  not  knowing  one  single  word 
of  Roumanian,  replied  in  French  to  the  president's  allocu- 
tion, which  he  had  not  understood,  and  was  enthusiasti- 
cally cheered  by  the  audience,  who  did  not  understand  his 
answer. 

Observe,  this  happens  in  Wallachia !  We  are  ready  to 
give  the  flattest  contradiction  to  any  one  who  may  venture 
to  assert  that  a  similar  thing  may  happen  elsewhere,  and 
that  a  number  of  Frenchmen  assemble  every  year  at  the 
Sorbonne,  to  applaud  a  Latin  discourse  of  which  they  do 
not  understand  a  word. 

A  speech,  whether  it  be  intelligible  or  not,  is  a  painful 
thing,  and  wearisome  to  the  ear  of  a  famished  hearer. 


DR.   J.   B.    QUlfcS.  269 

The  president's  address,  although  it  lasted  for  only  an 
hour  and  a  quarter,  seemed  mortally  long  to  Dr.  Quies, 
who  concluded  his  own  brief  reply  by  begging  for  a  few 
hours'  rest.  This  boon  was  granted  him,  thanks  to 
Magloire,  who  knew  how  to  say  in  every  language, — 

"  I  am  hungry  !   I  am  thirsty  !  I  want  to  sleep  ! 

Only  for  Magloire  his  unfortunate  master  would  have 
had  to  submit  to  three  or  four  more  speeches  that  day. 

The  question  of  the  authenticity  of  the  ruins  of  Trajan's 
bridge  was  not  the  only  one  which  was  to  be  studied  by  the 
Congress  at  Turn-Severin.  For  that  alone,  a  building 
which  had  cost  a  considerable  sum,  would  not  have  been 
built,  and  hung  with  four  hundred  flags;  nor  would  savants, 
journalists,  and  even  photographers,  have  been  induced  to 
come  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  world.  Many  other 
points  were  to  be  considered  more  or  less  exhaustively. 
All  the  branches  of  science  were  to  be  handled,  and  were 
handled,  as  the  papers  read  at  a  public  meeting  on  the 
following  day  proved  : — 

1.  By  the  Russian  delegate,  M.  Poporoskoff,  on  Russia 
at  the  time  of  the  Sarmatians,  of  the  Roxclans,  and  of  the 
Agathyrses. 

2.  By  the  Swedish   delegate,    on   the   electro-chemical 
properties  of  iridium. 

3.  By  the    Italian    delegate,  on    the   Customs'   law    of 
Lapland. 

4.  By  the  German  delegate,  on  molecular  attraction  to 
the  surface  of  the  moon-. 

5.  By  the  Dutch  delegate,  on  the  physical  constitution 
of  infusoria. 

6.  By  the  Spanish  delegate,  on  refraction  in  the  upper 
strata  of  the  atmosphere. 

7.  By  the  Austrian  delegate,  on  the  lowering  of  tempera- 
ture at  different  altitudes. 

(The  names  of  these  six  delegates  have  not  been  trans- 
mitted to  us.) 

8.  Finally,   by  the    French    delegate,    on    the   personal 


2/0  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

merit  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  and  the  works  which  he  proposed 
to  produce. 

In  matters  scientific,  however,  it  is  not  enough  to  talk  ; 
action  is  indispensable.  Experiments  of  the  most  interest- 
ing kind  were  to  be  made  upon  questions  No.  6  and  7  by 
the  authors  of  the  papers  upon  them.  Those  gentlemen 
were  to  ascend  in  a  balloon  to  the  height  of  7000  yards,  so 
as  to  confirm  their  statements  upon  refraction  and  the 
lowering  of  the  temperature  beyond  risk  of  refutation. 

The  results  of  this  costly  operation  seemed,  however,  to 
offer  less  of  absolute  certainty  than  might  have  been 
desired.  As  Quies  had  correctly  foreseen,  there  were 
several  amateur  savants  at  Turn-Severin,  but  real  savants 
had  stayed  away. 

That  circumstance  had,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  a 
lamentable  influence  on  our  hero's  destiny. 

The  "  Capricorn,"  so  the  balloon  was  named,  which  had 
been  lying  flat  on  the  ground  on  the  day  of  the  doctor's 
arrival  at  Turn-Severin,  had  been  inflated  during  the  night, 
and  was  swaying  about,  secured  by  long  ropes,  in  the 
middle'  of  a  boarded  enclosure,  when  they  came  out  of  the 
place  of  meeting. 

"Just  to  think,"  said  Quies  to  Anthime,  pointing  to  the 
bobbing  monster,  "  that  there  are  fools  for  such  follies  ! " 

"  You  would  not  feel  any  curiosity  to — " 

"  I  ! " 

Never  in  his  life  had  the  doctor  heard  so  preposterous  a 
question.  He  could  not  make  any  answer  to  it  except 
that  "  I  ! "  but  the  exclamation  had  more  in  it  than  all  the 
papers  which  had  just  been  read  at  the  Congress. 

Magloire,  always  greedy  for  novelty  and  excitement, 
looked  at  the  balloon  with  a  sigh.  Most  willingly  would 
he  have  foregone  six  months'  wages  if  thereby  he  could 
have  procured  for  Dr.  Quies  the  renown  of  having  as- 
cended 7000  yards  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  its 
reflection  upon  himself. 

The  next  day  at  noon — the  hour  fixed  for  the  ascent — 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  271 

the  sky  was  clear,  the  temperature  was  comparatively  cool, 
the  sun  made  the  river  shine  like  silver,  and  the  vast  globe 
of  the  balloon  like  a  dome  of  gold. 

The  two  delegates  from  Spain  and  Austria  were  super- 
intending the  final  preparations  for  the  ascent,  when  Quies, 
Anthime,  and  Magloire  entered  the  enclosure  reserved  for 
the  members  of  the  Congress.  It  was  clear  that  there  was 
something  wrong,  for  they  consulted  together  with  evident 
anxiety  from  minute  to  minute,  and  five  or  six  of  their 
colleagues  who  were  busy  about  them,  seemed  to  say, — 

"  How  is  this  to  be  got  over  ? " 

They  were  to  have  begun  the  ascent  at  noon  ;  at  two 
o'clock  they  were  still  there. 

"  What  is  the  cause  of  this  delay  ?  "  inquired  Quies  of 
one  of  his  colleagues  who,  unfortunately,  spoke  French. 

"  Ah,  my  dear  sir,  I  may  tell  you,  in  confidence — " 

"  Rest  assured  that—" 

"  This  infernal  balloon  was  made  at  Pesth  and  rigged 
by  an  English  engineer.  The  apparatus  is  no  doubt  a 
new  invention.  The  delegates  do  not  know  how  to 
manage  it,  and  the  ascent  is  therefore  useless." 

"  What  apparatus  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  don't  rightly  know,  but  I  believe  it  is  spectroscopes 
— spectrometers — something  of  that  kind — " 

"  Oh,  that  does  not  signify,"  said  Quies,  smiling,  "  I  will 
examine  the  apparatus,  and  shall  be  able  to  tell  these 
gentlemen  all  about  it  in  a  few  minutes.  My  esteemed 
colleague,  M.  Anthime  Bonamy,  places  himself,  with  me,  at 
their  disposal." 

The  news  that  the  French  delegates  would  be  able  to 
remove  the  obstacles  that  retarded  the  ascent  of  the  balloon, 
spread  rapidly,  and  Quies  and  his  companions  were,  loudly 
cheered. 

The  crowd  made  way  for  them,  and  they  came  close  to 
the  car,  which  was  vacated  and  left  free  to  their  investiga- 
tion. They  mounted  into  it  at  once,  Anthime  installed 
himself  on  the  right,  Quies  on  the  left,  and  they  entered 


2/2  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

on  a  conscientious  examination,  after  having  directed  that 
the  signal  for  departure  was  not  to  be  given. 

Now  that  signal  had  been  impatiently  expected  by  the 
crowd,  and  also  by  the  sixty  Wallachian  peasants  who  had 
to  hold  the  balloon  in  its  position.  They  had,  however, 
been  well  instructed  ;  neither  want  of  skill  nor  ill-will  was 
to  be  apprehended  from  them,  and  Quies,  seeing  them 
motionless  and  impassive  at  their  post,  set  to  work  with  a 
tranquil  mind. 

"  You  see,  'said  he  to  Anthime,  "  it  is  just  as  I  thought ! 
What  trumpery  savants  !  A  pitiful  lot." 

"  We  need  not  complain,  my  dear  colleague,  for  it  gives 
us  an  opportunity  of  showing  what  we  are," 

"  And  what  we  are  worth,  that  is  true." 

"  These  instruments  are  in  excellent  order,  admirably 
constructed." 

"  And  very  easy  to  handle." 

"  Certainly." 

They  examined  the  instruments  one  by  one,  working 
the  wheels,  the  valves,  and  the  screws,  partly  to  acquit 
themselves  honourably  of  their  mission,  and  partly  to  give 
themselves  additional  importance  in  the  eyes  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Congress,  who  were  grouped  around  the 
"  Capricorn,"  and  followed  all  their  movements  with 
respectful  attention. 

During  this  time,  Magloire,  who  was  standing  up  between 
his  two  masters,  and  full  of  pride  and  delight,  did  his  best 
to  associate  himself  with  their  important  task.  He  tried 
the  ropes  of  the  balloon  one  by  one  to  make  sure  of  their 
strength,  refastened  a  buckle  here,  and  tucked  in  a  scrap  of 
the  wickerwork  there—  in  short,  played  the  part  of  the  fly  on 
the  wheel  in  the  twenty  square  feet  of  the  balloon-car. 
Then  the  idea  occurred  to  him  —  an  unlucky  idea  ifever  there 
was  one — to  look  over  the  instruments  in  his  turn.  A 
monkey  in  a  laboratory  would  not  have  been  more  out  of 
place.  Magloire  had  never  in  his  life  handled  a  barometer, 
a  spectrometer,  or  a  manometer. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


2/3 


He  had  taken  up  and  put  down  again  four  or  five  instru- 
ments whose  very  names  he  did  not  know,  when  as  chance 
would  have  it,  he  laid  his  hand  on  one  of  those  horns  which 


Magloire  put  the  horn  mechanically  to  his  lips. 

are  blown  on  French  railways  to  give  notice  of  the  passing 
of  a  train. 

While  wondering  how  this  horn  came  to  be  there,  and 
what  possible  use  could  be  made  of  it  in  a  balloon  ascent, 
Magloire  put  it  mechanically  to  his  lips,  and,  to  make  sure 
18 


274  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 

that  he  had  not  made  a  mistake  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
instrument,  he  blew  into  it  with  all  his  strength. 

The  last  vibration  of  the  sound  had  not  died  out  of  the 
air  ere  the  Wallachian  peasants  had  let  go  their  hold  on 
the  ropes. 

A  blast  on  the  horn  was  the  appointed  signal  ! 

The  "  Capricorn,"  left  to  itself,  soared  towards  the 
clouds  with  bewildering  rapidity,  carrying  the  unfortu- 
nate Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  and  his  companions  into  the  realms 
of  ether. 


The  "Capricorn"  abandoned  to  itself. 


DR.  J.   B.   QUIES.  277 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

TREATS   OF   THE   IMPRUDENCE   OF   ANGER,   AND   THE 
UTILITY   OF   BITS   OF   STRING. 

NOBODY  will  be  surprised  to  learn  that  the  sinking  of  the 
firm  earth  from  beneath  their  feet  threw  our  three  involun- 
tary aeronauts  into  a  state  of  stupefaction. 

Anthime  stood  for  more  than  a  minute  with  his  mouth 
open,  and  his  eyes  staring  wicte.  Magloire  himself,  the 
intrepid,  the  adventurous  Magloire,  remained  mute  and 
discomfited  for  the  same  space  of  time.  Fortunately, 
however,  he  was  not  a  man  to  be  easily  disconcerted.  He 
speedily  recovered  his  self-possession,  and  was  able  to 
regard  the  adventure  in  a  light  which  made  it  redound 
largely  to  the  credit  of  the  illustrious  savants  whom  he 
had  the  honour  to  serve. 

Anthime,  although  less  prone  to  enthusiasm,  was  speedily 
restored  to  composure  by  reflecting  that  many  of  his 
fellow-men  had  already  gone  up  in  balloons,  and  had  come 
down  again  in  safety. 

As  for  Quies,  he  was  utterly  prostrate.  This  blow  seemed 
to  be  the  very  last  that  could  be  inflicted  upon  him.  Such  an 
adventure  went  beyond  the  bounds  of  all  that  he  had  con- 
ceived to  be  possible.  He  looked  at  his  two  companions 
in  utter  bewilderment,  while  they  bent  over  him  and 
endeavoured  to  recall  him  to  his  senses. 

"  Courage,  courage,  my  dear  colleague,"  said  Anthime. 
"  After  all,  it's  only  a  little  trip,  and  we  can  shorten  it  at 
our  pleasure.  This  balloon  is  as  tractable  as  a  boat  on  the 
sea.  Look  !  it  ascends,  it  descends  !  " 


278  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

So  saying  he  threw  out  some  ballast,  and  worked  the 
valve,  but  Dr.  Quies  remained  entirely  unmoved  by  these 
operations. 

"  Think  of  the  future,  sir,"  said  Magloire.  "  You  will 
write  three  or  four  octavo  volumes  upon  this  ascent,  which 
will  surely  bring  you  to  the  Institute." 

"  The  fact  is,"  resumed  M.  Bonamy,  "  that  chance  is 
doing  you  a  very  good  turn." 

Quies  understood,  for  he  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven. 

"  Yes,"  continued  Anthime,  encouraged  by  this  expres- 
sive pantomime,  "you  owe  a  good  deal  of  your  celebrity  to 
chance,  and  just  think  what  you  are  again  about  to  owe  to 
it.  All  Europe  will  soon  be  talking  of  our  aerial  expe- 
dition. The  newspapers  will  carry  your  name  and  mine 
to  the  four  corners  of  the  globe  ;  and  all  this  without 
our  having  had  even  the  trouble  of  intending  it." 

Quies,  instead  of  answering,  raised  his  clenched  fists  to 
heaven,  and  then  brought  them  suddenly  down  under 
M  Bonamy's  nose. 

"Quies,  Quies,"  said  the  latter,  "you  make  a  great 
mistake  by  being  angry  with  me !  It  is  to  me  you  owe 
the  best  part  of  your  renown." 

Quies  looked  at  him  in  amazement. 

"  There's  no  doubt  about  that,"  continued  Anthime. 
"  You  must  admit  that  it  would  never  have  come  into  your 
head  to  travel  in  Africa  and  gain  the  title  of  "  illustrious 
explorer,"  with  which  we  are  pestered,  if  I,  Anthime 
Bonamy,  had  not  started  you  o.T,  without  your  knowledge, 
in  the  Marseilles  train." 

"  When  did  that  happen  ?  " 

"  When  ?  Why  on  our  return  from  Le  Plessis,  after  the 
baptism  of  your  godson,  Baptistin  Vernet,  called  La 
Carriole." 

"  Ah  !     It  is  you  who—" 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  colleague,  it  is  I." 

"  It  is  you  ! " 

As   he   uttered    these   words,  Quies  started    up.     An- 


DR.   J.   B.    QUI&S. 


279 


thime's    revelations,    throwing  a   sudden    light    upon   the 
past,  sent  all  the  fury  and  gall  that  had  filled  the  unhappy 


"  You  want  to  bring  about  my  death  !  " 

doctor's  heart  during  his  five  months'  wanderings  and  suffer- 
ings, straight  to  his    head.     He  was  seized  with   terrible 


28O  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

anger,  one  of  those  sudden  storms  of  passion  which  make 
men  mad  and  blind,  and  it  swept  his  will  before  it. 

"  It  is  you  two  who  dragged  me  into  this  idiotic  expedi- 
tion. It  is  you  who  suggested  the  fatal  idea  of  it  to  M.  de 
Prechafoin  ;  you  who  drugged  me  at  Pesth,  and  had  me 
put  on  board  the  boat.  It  is  you  who  have  shut  me  up 
with  yourself  in  this  wicker-basket  !  You  want  to  bring 
about  my  death  !  " 

"  Don't  think,  Quies— " 

"  Don't  deny  it.  You  are  resolved  upon  it !  Well  then, 
so  be  it,  wretch  that  you  are  !  But  I  will  not  die  alone  ! 
I  have  my  vengeance  at  hand  !  You  have  taken  me  up 
into  the  air  with  you  ;  I  am  going  to  hurl  you  down  to 
the  earth  with  me  ! " 

Dr.  Quies  had  entirely  lost  his  head.  He  seized  the 
rope  which  governed  the  valve,  and,  the  gas  escaping  freely 
from  the  upper  part,  the  balloon  began  to  descend  with 
terrific  rapidity. 

"  Quick,  Magloire,"  cried  Anthime,  "  quick  !  Throw  out 
ballast ! " 

Magloire,  who  had  been  endeavouring  to  overpower  the 
doctor,  but  in  vain,  for  the  violent  pas-ion  of  Quies  had 
redoubled  his  strength,  thought  it  better  to  obey.  He  laid 
hold  of  the  ballast-bags,  and  emptied  them  one  after  the 
other,  actively  assisted  by  Anthime. 

"  Throw  it  out !  throw  it  out !  "  shouted  Quies,  "we  are 
going  down!  We  are  falling!  In  another  moment  we 
shall  strike  the  earth  !  Throw  out  ballast,  my  good 
friends  !  Ha  !  ha !  ha  !  Throw  out  ballast !  But  I  pull 
the  rope  !  I  pull  the  rope,  and  I  shall  not  let  it  go  ! " 

He  was  not  pulling  it  ;  he  was  hanging  on  it  with  all 
his  weight,  and  only  treading  the  bottom  of  the  car  with 
his  toes.  Notwithstanding  his  misadventures,  the  doctor 
weighed  at  that  moment  precisely  115  kilograms.  It 
needs  a  strong  rope  to  resist  such  a  strain,  augmented 
by  the  muscular  efforts  of  a  man  insane  with  rage. 

Quies  exerted  himself  so  effectually  that  the  rope  broke, 


DR.   J.   B.   QUltS. 


28l 


and  fell  into  space,  while  he  tumbled  back  into  the  bottom 
of  the  car. 

During  this  time  Anthime  and  Magloire  were  throwing 
out  ballast  without  an  instant's  pause,  and  the  balloon  was 
rising  more  quickly  than  it  had  descended.  Being  easy  on 


Quies  exerted  himself  so  effectually  that  the  rope  broke. 

this  point,  they  turned  round  to  look  after  Quies,  and  saw 
him  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  car,  insensible,  and  with  his 
face  a  deep  purple.  Magloire  rubbed  his  hands,  Anthime 
blew  on  his  temples,  and,  after  a  full  half-hour  of  this 
treatment,  the  doctor  sneezed — a  sure  sign  that  he  was  not 
dead. 


282  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

He  opened  his  eyes,  looked  vacantly  at  his  companions, 
burst  into  tears,  and  held  out  a  hand  each  to  Anthime  and 
Magloire. 

This  spontaneous  movement,  a  logical  reaction  from  the 
fearful  agitation  which  he  had  just  undergone,  was  taken 
by  M.  Bonamy  for  a  free  pardon  of  the  past.  He  had  now 
only  to  guard  against  the  possibilities  of  the  future. 

"  Anthime,  where  are  we  ?  "  asked  Quies  faintly. 

"  At  6000  yards,  my  dear  friend." 

"  In  the  air  ?  " 

"  Of  course." 

"  Ah  !  in  what  direction  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  What  is  our  speed  ? " 

"Prodigious  !  unheard  of!  incredible  !" 

"Ah!" 

"  No  doubt  we  are  being  carried  along  by  a  whirlwind 
above  the  lower  atmosphere." 

"  Ah !  " 

"  Do  you  not  feel  occasional  shocks  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do." 

"Just  as  if  the  balloon  were  striking  itself  against 
obstacles  in  its  way  ?  That  is  caused  by  the  conflict 
between  the  current  by  which  we  are  driven  and  opposing 
currents." 

"  Are  we  ascending  ?  " 

"  No,  but  this  current—" 

"  But,"  interposed  Magloire,  who  was  beginning  to  feel 
very  uneasy  on  his  own  account,  "there  is  a  very  simple  way 
out  of  all  this,  it  is  just  to  descend.  My  opinion  is  that  we 
have  remained  quite  long  enough  up  in  the  air  for  the 
honour  and  glory  of  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  !  It  is 
getting  dark,  and — " 

"  Let  us  descend,"  said  Anthime  ;  "  I  don't  ask  better. 
Pull  the  rope,  Magloire." 

"  The  rope,  sir  ? "  said  Magloire,  searching  for  it  every- 
where, "  the  rope — but  I  can't  find  it." 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  283 

"  What  ?  " 

"  Look  for  it  yourself,  sir." 

"  No,  don't  look,  Anthime,"  said  Quies  ;  "  don't  look, 
Magloire.  I  broke  the  rope  !  " 

"  Good  heaven  !  we  are  lost !  " 

At  these  terrible  words  Quies,  recognizing  the  gravity 
of  his  deed  of  anger,  again  burst  into  tears,  and  Anthime 
and  Magloire  wept  with  him,  as  men  might  well  do  who 
felt  that  their  last  hour  was  at  hand. 

Their  situation  was  becoming  more  and  more  critical. 
If  they  could  not  succeed  in  making  the  valve  act,  their 
only  resource  would  be  to  burst  the  ballon — a  slender 
chance  indeed  !  But  to  begin  at  the  altitude  of  6000  yards 
a  descent  which  must  be  accelerated  with  each  second  of 
its  duration  was  a  serious  matter. 

By  common  consent  they  resolved  not  to  resort  to  this 
tremendous  expedient  except  as  a  last  chance.  The  valve 
must  be  made  to  work  by  some  means. 

"  If  I  had  enough  rope,"  said  Magloire,  "  I  am  sure  I 
could  manage  to  hitch  myself  up  to  the  side  of  this  infernal 
balloon,  and  join  the  two  ends." 

Unfortunately  Anthime  and  he  had  cut  all  the  ropes 
that  held  the  ballast  bags.  To  take  one  of  those  by  which 
the  car  was  kept  in  its  place  would  be  to  endanger  the 
whole  apparatus,  and  could  not  be  thought  of. 

In  the  car  itself  there  remained  only  some  bits  of 
cord,  much  too  short  and  too  slight  for  the  purpose 
required. 

And  the  "  Capricorn  "  was  sweeping  through  space  at  the 
rate  of  forty  leagues  an  hour  !  Such  speed  ought  to  have 
suffocated  the  unhappy  aeronauts,  but  they  were  not  aware 
of  it.  The  air  which  surrounded  them,  travelling  with 
them,  kept  them  apparently  motionless.  Nothing  could 
be  attempted  until  the  sun  should  have  risen  again.  For 
twelve  hours  they  would  have  to  abandon  themselves  to 
the  blind  whirlwind  ;  for  twelve  hours  they  would  have  to 
suffer  from  cold,  hunger,  and  suspense.  If,  indeed,  they 


284  THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 

were  ever  again  to  behold  the  earth,  in  what  a  state  should 
they  revisit  it ! 

Darkness  had  come  down  almost  around  them  ;  dark- 
ness deeper  than  we  ever  know.  The  lightless  stars  showed 
only  like  silver  specks  upon  the  black  dome  of  the  sky.  It 
was  truly  sepulchral  ! 

Quies  crouched  down  in  one  corner  of  the  car,  Anthime 
in  another,  and  without  exchanging  a  word,  or  even  a  pres- 
sure of  the  hand,  they  shut  their  eyes,  not  in  sleep,  but  in 
the  effort  to  shut  out  the  consciousness  of  their  appalling 
situation. 

Magloire  would  not  give  way  to  despair.  All  night 
long  he  ruminated  upon  a  plan  which  he  began  to  put  in 
execution  so  soon  as  morning  broke. 

We  could  not  say  what  was  the  country  over  which  the 
"  Capricorn  "  was  then  passing.  It  is,  however,  beyond  a 
doubt  that  the  balloon  had  travelled  an  immense  distance 
from  its  point  of  departure,  and  was  destined  to  increase 
that  distance  considerably  before  Magloire  should  have 
accomplished  his  purpose. 

Out  of  the  pieces  of  cord  which  he  found  in  the  car  he 
proposed  to  make  a  rope  as  nearly  as  possible  similar  to 
that  of  the  valve,  and  to  join  the  two  ends,  if  there 
remained  eough  of  the  piece  attached  to  the  upper  part 
of  the  balloon  to  enable  him  to  catch  hold  of  it.  He 
climbed  up  by  the  net  far  enough  to  make  sure  that  the 
rope  might  be  reached.  All  hope  was  not  lost,  and  he  set 
to  work  bravely. 

Anthime  and  Quies  looked  on  at  what  he  was  doing 
without  seeing  it,  without  taking  the  slightest  interest  in 
his  exertions.  Since  the  previous  day  they  had  not  stirred 
from  the  bottom  of  the  car,  but  had  cowered  there  with 
their  heads  bent  down  to  their  knees,  waiting  for  death. 
For  them  it  was  merely  a  question  of  time  and  manner. 
Were  they  to  die  of  hunger  and  exhaustion  ?  Were  they 
to  be  asphyxiated  ?  Or  if  they  were  flung  down  upon  the 
earth  by  the  possible  explosion  of  the  balloon,  would  they 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  285 

be  dashed  to  atoms?     In  vain  did  Magloire  endeavour  to 
inspire  them  with  hope ;  they  did  not  listen  to  him. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  they  were  beyond  caring.  They  had 
reached  a  pitch  of  exhaustion  at  which  the  mind  ceases  to 
perceive  the  sufferings  that  are  inflicted  upon  the  body. 
Occasionally,  however,  a  ray  of  reason  seemed  to  light  up 
their  eyes  like  the  flicker  of  an  expiring  lamp.  Many 
thoughts,  although  it  is  true  that  they  were  vague,  passed 
in  a  kind  of  whirl  through  their  minds.  The  remembrance 
of  the  past  contended  with  their  vanished  hopes. 

For  them  the  past  was  Saint-Pignon,  the  pretty  town 
crowning  the  green  slope,  the  friends  whom  they  were 
never  more  to  see,  the  beloved  voices  which  they  were 
never  more  to  hear. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  in  the  great  crises  of  life 
souls  hold  involuntary  communion,  and  that  individuals 
understand  each  other  without  speech.  Anthime  and 
Quies  had  not  exchanged  a  word  ;  yet  their  thoughts, 
having  the  same  goal,  had  travelled  in  such  complete 
accord  that  at  the  same  moment  the  remembrance  of  a 
last  duty  to  be  fulfilled  came  to  each. 

Ouies  tore  a  leaf  out  of  his  pocket-book,  and  wrote 
with  a  pencil  and  a  shaking  hand  the  following  words  : — 

"In  the  face  of  a  certain  death  I  leave  this  farewell  to 
all  whom  I  have  loved.  At  the  same  time  I  ratify  my 
existing  testamentary  dispositions  in  favour  of  Mdme. 
Ragot  (widow),  requesting  her  to  give  some  article  that  has 
belonged  to  me,  as  a  remembrance,  to  each  of  the  under- 
named  persons  :  Henri  de  Malleville,  M.  de  Malleville,  Com- 
mandant La  Carriole,  M.  de  Prechafoin,  Gertrude.  May  all 
those  whom  I  have  involuntarily  offended  pardon  my  faults ! '' 
Anthime  wrote  as  follows  : — 

"  Being  at  the  point  of  death  I  address  an  eternal  adieu 
to  all  those  who  have  loved  me.  At  the  same  time  I 
ratify  my  existing  testamentary  dispositions  entrusted  to 
Maitre  Grimblot.  May  all  those  whom  I  have  injured 
pardon  me  !  " 


286 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


After  they  had  signed  these  important  documents,  An- 
thime  and  Quies  placed  them,  one  in  the  case  of  an 
aneroid  barometer,  the  other  in  that  of  a  differential  ther- 
mometer ;  then  each  refolded  his  arms  and  threw  himself 
back  into  his  corner 


He  succeeded  in  fastening  the  rope. 

Magloire  worked  on  steadily  at  his  task  ;  but  the  job 
was  a  laborious  one,  and  it  was  evening  once  more  before 
he  had  completed  it. 

Still  the  balloon,  swept  on  by  the  hurricane,  pursued  its 
dizzy  course.  Sometimes  it  oscillated,  whirled  round,  and 
twisted  itself  about  under  the  action  of  the  wind,  as  though 


DR.   J.    B.    QUlfcS.  287 

it  were  striving  to  escape  from  the  clutches  of  the  invisible 
demon  that  held  it  fast.  Anon,  weary  of  the  useless  con- 
flict, it  desisted,  and,  being  again  caught  by  the  current, 
rushed  onward  in  space.  This  lasted  all  night,  and 
for  half  the  following  day.  Magloire  had  not  slept,  he  had 
gone  on  with  his  work  in  the  dark,  feeling  the  cords  with 
his  fingers.  When  day  dawned  he  had  made  eight  yards  of 
good  strong  rope  ;  by  midday  his  task  was  finished.  Then, 
without  uttering  a  word,  he  took  the  rope  between  his 
teeth,  hoisted  himself  up  to  the  hoop  of  the  balloon,  got 
his  feet  into  the  meshes  of  the  net,  and,  holding  on  now  by 
the  right,  now  by  the  left  hand,  he  succeeded,  after  half  an 
hour  of  severe  continuous  exertion,  in  fastening  the  rope 
that  he  had  twisted  to  the  end  of  the  broken  rope  which 
remained  above.  This  done,  he  let  himself  down  carefully 
and  pulled  the  rope. 

The  valve  worked  !  The  balloon  descended !  Such 
was  his  joy  that  he  sang  and  danced  in  the  car.  Anthime 
and  Quies  thought  he  had  gone  mad,  and  looked  at  him  in 
terror. 

"  Saved  !     Doctor,  we  are  saved  !  "  he  cried.     "  Saved  !  " 

They  got  on  their  feet  mechanically. 

"  Look,"  continued  Magloire,  "  we  are  descending  " he 

pulled  the  rope — "  we  are  descending  !  " 

It  was  true  ;  they  could  already  dimly  discern  the  earth 
beneath  them. 


288  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

SHOWS  THAT  WHAT  DID  HAPPEN  WOULD  NOT  HAVE 
HAPPENED  IF  DR.  QUIES  HAD  WEIGHED  FIFTY  POUNDS 
LESS. 

To  say  that  they  discerned  the  earth  is  perhaps  too  much  ; 
they  divined  it  rather.  On  the  grey  immensity  beneath 
the  balloon  a  spot  stood  out  in  black,  curiously  indented, 
like  a  stain  of  ink  upon  a  sheet  of  blotting-paper. 

Was  that  land  ?  Around  it  was  there  fog,  or  water  ?  It 
was  difficult  to  say  ;  but  slowly,  steadily,  without  jerk  or 
jolt,  the  balloon  still  descended,  and  soon  Magloire  was 
able  to  exclaim  for  the  second  time, — 

"  We  are  saved  !  " 

Yes,  this  was  land,  or  at  least  a  tongue  of  dry,  stony 
ground,  with  a  few  green  patches  upon  its  surface  here  and 
there.  Not  a  tree,  not  a  house  was  in  sight.  On  one  side  a 
vast  stretch  of  blue  water  could  be  plainly  distinguished  ;  on 
the  other  the  mist  made  it  impossible  to  ascertain  whether 
it  was  a  continent  or  an  island  that  the  balloon  was  ap- 
proaching. That,  however,  was  a  point  totally  unimportant 
to  Dr.  Quies  and  his  companions  at  the  moment.  It  was 
land,  that  is  to  say,  it  was  almost  the  certainty  of  not  dying 
of  hunger,  unless,  by  a  final  freak  of  chance,  the  wind 
should  have  borne  them  to  a  barren,  uninhabited  island, 
without  culture  and  without  vegetation.  They  never 
thought  of  that ;  their  sole  anxiety  was  to  avoid  injury  on 
reaching  the  ground,  or  to  escape  being  carried  away  again 
before  they  reached  it. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUltS. 


289 


Magloire,  who  was  leaning  over  the  edge  of  the  car  and 
working  the  machinery,  suddenly  uttered  an  exclamation. 
"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  asked  M.  Bonamy. 
"It  moves,  sir." 

"  What  ?     What  is  it  that  moves  ?  " 
"  The  two  white  specks." 


He  peered  downwards  at  the  two  natives. 

For  some  minutes  he  had  been  gazing  at  two  white 
specks  on  the  land  beneath,  and  endeavouring  to  make  out 
what  they  could  be.  The  discovery  that  these  specks 
were  human  beings  was  an  unspeakable  relief.  It 
afforded  a  full  and  undeniable  proof  that  the  country 
was  not  uninhabited,  and  that  on  setting  foot  on  land 
they  should  find  immediate  succour,  food,  beds.  Beds  ! 
The  mere  idea  sent  a  delightful  thrill  through  the  nerves 
19 


290 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


The  "  Capricorn  "  rose  suddenly  into  the  air. 


of  Dr.  Quits.  At 
that  moment  a  bed 
represented  to  him 
the  acme  of  civiliza- 
tion. If  the  reader 
will  put  himself  in 
the  doctor's  place 
for  a  moment,  the 
sentiment  will  not 
strike  him  as  ex- 
aggerated. 

Magloire  had  the 
balloon-anchors 
ready,  and  while 
awaiting  the  exact 
moment  for  casting 
them,  he  peered 
downwards  at  the 
two  natives,  who 
seemed  to  scruti- 
nize the  enormous 
descending  ma- 
chine with  lively 
curiosity.  The  two 
men  wrere  dressed 
in  European  cos- 
tume, consisting  of 
a  shirt  and  blue 
trousers,  and,byan- 
otherhappy  chance, 
their  caps  and  jack- 
ets, which  lay  on 
the  stones  beside 
them,  proved  them 
to  be  sailors.  Men 
who  were  accus- 
tomed to  handle  the 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  291 

gear  of  a  ship  ought  to  be  able  to  handle  that  of  a  balloon; 
and,  therefore,  so  soon  as  he  was  near  enough  to  make 
them  hear,  Magloire  called  to  them  as  he  flung  out  his 
anchors, — 

"  Catch  hold,  and  don't  let  go." 

M.  Bonamy,  on  chance,  repeated  the  same  instructions 
in  Italian.  The  doctor  reiterated  them  in  Spanish,  Latin, 
and  ancient  Greek,  although,  to  judge  from  appearances, 
he  was  not  addressing  contemporaries  of  Themistocles. 
But  he  was  carried  away  by  his  zeal. 

The  two  men,  however,  did  not  wait  for  the  last  injunc- 
tion ;  on  hearing  the  first  they  seized  the  irons,  and  drew 
the  "  Capricorn  "  towards  them  with  a  steady  and  practised 
pull. 

In  five  minutes  the  car  touched  the  ground. 

"  Don't  let  go,"  cried  Magloire,  as  he  promptly  opened 
the  door,  and  stepped  off  the  wicker  flooring  on  the 
firm  earth  with  evident  satisfaction.  Anthime  followed 
him,  and  it  must  be  said  for  both  that  they  came  out 
first  not  so  much  from  a  selfish  impulse  as  because  they 
wished  to  render  poor  Quies  what  they  considered  indis- 
pensable assistance.  This  was  an  unfortunate  error,  as  we 
shall  soon  see.  His  first  contact  with  the  crust  of  the  earth 
had  restored  to  Dr.  Quies  the  control  of  his  mind  and 
the  elasticity  of  his  limbs  as  if  by  a  miracle,  and  without 
bestowing  a  thought  upon  the  instruments  that  had  been 
entrusted  to  him,  without  taking  Magloire's  hand,  or 
saying  a  word  to  either  of  them,  he  stepped  out  after 
his  companions. 

But  the  doctor  was,  as  we  know,  a  heavy  man.  The 
"  Capricorn,"  which  had  hitherto  been  perfectly  docile  and 
obedient,  and  seemed  hardly  to  strain  upon  the  anchor 
at  all,  was  no  sooner  set  free  from  the  last  remaining 
weight  of  115  kilograms,  than  it  rose  suddenly  into  the  air 
with  such  buoyancy  that  the  two  poor  men  whose  aid  had 
been  so  freely  given  had  not  time  to  let  go  the  ropes,  but 
found  themselves  dangling  at  a  height  of  300  feet  above 


292  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

the  ground  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  describe  the 
occurrence. 

Anthime,  Dr.  Quies,  and  Magloire  uttered  simultaneous 
cries  of  surprise  and  terror.  A  catastrophe  seemed  inevi- 
table ;  but  they  presently  saw  the  two  men,  who  were  agile 
and  hardy  fellows,  climb  up  like  cats,  and  take  refuge  in 
the  car.  For  the  moment  they  were  safe  and  sound  ;  it 
was  but  a  substitution  of  persons,  and  it  might  be  hoped 
that  with  the  aid  of  Providence  they  would  escape  the  ter- 
rible fate  with  which  they  were  threatened.  And  so,  after 
they  had  wafted  a  sigh  in  the  direction  of  the  "  Capricorn," 
which  presently  vanished  in  space,  Dr.  Quies  and  his 
companions  considered  themselves  entitled  to  direct 
their  attention  exclusively  to  their  own  concerns. 

"  My  dear  Quies,"  said  M.  Bonamy.  The  doctor  started 
as  if  a  snake  had  stung  him. 

"  Your — dear — Quies  !  "  he  repeated,  dividing  the 
words. 

"But—" 

"  There  is  no  '  dear  Quies '  in  the  case,  sir,  any  longer  ! 
There  are  two  men  face  to  face,  one  of  whom  has  mortally 
injured  the  other  !  " 

"  I  thought—" 

"  You  were  wrong  in  so  thinking,  sir,  and  now  that 
heaven  has  permitted  us  to  touch  earth  again,  the  hour  of 
retribution  has  struck  !  " 

The  phrase  was  bombastic,  but  the  look  which  accom- 
panied it  showed  clearly  that  at  least  the  doctor  was  not 
disposed,  for  the  moment,  to  overlook  the  treachery  which 
had  been  practised  towards  him.  Perhaps  he  would 
have  exacted  the  reparation  that  he  considered  due  to 
him,  then  and  there,  had  not  Magloire  observed  with 
indisputable  truth  that  before  proceeding  to  settle  ac- 
counts with  the  past,  it  would  be  well  to  consider  the 
necessities  of  the  present.  Now  there  was  none  more 
urgent  than  that  of  eating  and  drinking. 

Upon  this  Dr.  Quies  perceived  or  remembered  that  he 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  293 

was  dying  of  hunger,  and  broke  off  the  interview  with  a 
gesture  which  signified, — 

"This  is  not  ended.     Let  us  dine." 

Dine  !  Yes,  certainly  ;  but  the  country  seemed  to  be 
very  ill-supplied  with  hotels,  inns,  taverns,  or  analogous 
establishments,  and  almost  equally  poor  in  native  edibles. 
Magloire  set  off  to  reconnoitre  in  the  neighbourhood,  but 
presently  returned  in  consternation  to  inform  the  doctor 
and  Anthime  that  so  far  as  he  could  see,  not  a.  tree,  a 
house,  or  a  spot  of  cultivated  or  arable  land  was  to 
be  seen.  He  had  not  come  across  so  much  as  an  edible 
root  in  all  his  perquisitions.  There  was  nothing,  nothing, 
except  a  little  spring  of  water  at  the  distance  of  a  few  feet 
from  them.  The  doctor  and  M.  Bonamy  crawled  to  the 
spring  and  revived  themselves  with  a  draught  of  water ; 
then  a  council  was  held. 

From  the  place  where  they  were,  our  three  shipwrecked 
friends  beheld  the  sea  at  a  short  distance,  and  on  the  sandy 
shore  there  was  a  number  of  sea-gulls  and  other  aquatic 
birds.  But  there  was  no  means  of  killing  or  capturing 
any  of  these  for  dinner.  The  only  resource  was  shell-fish, 
and,  however  unwillingly,  the  party  had  to  trudge  down 
to  the  edge  of  the  sea  and  search  for  oysters,  mussels, 
shrimps,  or  other  amphibious  creatures  which  had  found  a 
home  in  the  hollows  of  the  sand.  The  search  was  long, 
and  its  results  were  meagre.  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  dined  that 
evening  on  three  dozen  raw  mussels,  and  this  pitiful  meal 
was  not  calculated  to  dispel  his  resentment,  or  make  him 
forget  his  past  sufferings.  The  amply-justified  dread  of 
fresh  miseries  to  come,  wrung  from  him  at  dessert  (con- 
sisting of  one  last  mussel)  the  bitter  cry  of — 

"  And  it  is  to  you,  sir,  that  I  owe  this !  " 

"  Ah—"  muttered  Anthime. 

"  Don't  try  to  excuse  yourself,"  resumed  Dr.  Quies  im- 
periously and  majestically.  "  A  mean  jealousy  has  im- 
pelled you  to  the  most  abominable  of  all  crimes  !  " 

"  I  did  not  think—" 


294 


THE   STARTLING  EXPLOITS   OF 


"  You  have  disturbed  my  repose,  endangered  my  health, 
broken  up  my  life.  Here  I  am,  thanks  to  you,  condemned 
to  perish  miserably  upon  an  unknown  shore.0 

"  And  am  I  less  surely  condemned  than  you  ?  " 

"  That  is  not  enough  for  me,  sir." 

"  What  more  do  you  want  ? " 

"  I  have  already  told  you — reparation.     One  of  us  two, 


Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  dined  on  three  dozen  raw  mussels. 

sir,  is  one  too  many.  God,  who  is  just,  will  punish  the 
guilty  and  avenge  the  innocent." 

"  Then  it  is  a  duel  you  want  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  a  duel,  a  mortal  encounter." 

It  was  plain  that  the  despair  caused  by  his  latest  mis- 
fortune had  obscured  the  good  doctor's  reason. 

"  But,  is  it  not  a  fact,"  remonstrated  M.  Bonamy,  "  that 
in  the  car  of  that  accursed  balloon  yesterday,  you  threw 
yourself  into  my  arms  with  tears  ?  " 


DR.   J.   B.   QUltS. 


295 


"  A  passing  weakness,  for  which  I  blush,  sir.     I  thought 
myself  lost  ;  my  reason  forsook  me,  I  was  mad." 
"  And  you  are  so  still.     Just  think — " 
"  I  will  think  of  nothing,  sir,  but  my  vengeance." 
Dr.  Ouies  was  standing  on  his  toes,  his  face  was  purple, 


1 '  Very  well,  then, "  said  Bonamy,  losing  patience. 

his  eyes  shot  out  lightnings.  Such  an  attitude  on  his 
part  was  phenomenal.  Vainly  did  Magloire  endeavour  to 
quiet  him  down.  A  duel,  a  deadly  encounter,  he  would 
have,  and  he  stuck  manfully  to  his  point. 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  Bonamy,  losing  patience. 


2p6  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"At  last!"  exclaimed  the  doctor,  folding  his  arms 
majestically,  and  assuming  the  attitude  of  Napoleon  on 
the  field  of  battle  ;  "  At  last !  " 

But  "there  is  many  a  slip  'tvvixt  the  cup  and  the  lip." 
When  it  came  to  regulating  the  conditions  of  the  combat, 
the  adversaries  perceived  that  they  had  neither  swords, 
pistols,  cutlasses,  nor  indeed  any  weapon  except  Magloire's 
knife.  One  knife  between  two  antagonists  !  Unless  they 
were  to  use  it  in  turn,  what  was  to  be  done  ?  The  duel 
was  postponed  ;  there  was  no  help  for  the  delay. 

Anthime  and  Magloire  were  perfectly  satisfied  that  the 
deadly  encounter  being  delayed  would  be  heard  of  no  more. 
But  it  is  always  a  mistake  to  affirm  anything,  when  the 
fact  is  not  an  accomplished,  indisputable,  plain  fact. 
Nothing  is  more  fallacious  than  moral  certainty. 

Maglo:re  and  M.  Bonamy  would  only  have  had  to  look 
at  the  doctor  in  order  to  doubt  his  future  mildness.  His 
attitude  and  his  eyes  said  plainly  enough,  "  I  shall  have  you 
yet !  " 

In  the  meantime  it  was  necessary  to  find  shelter  during 
the  night  from  the  cold  and  from  dangerous  beasts,  if 
there  were  any.  Magloire  found  an  almost  agreeable  bed- 
room in  the  hollow  of  a  rock,  and  Dr.  Quies,  now  quite 
worn  out,  slept  profoundly  in  it.  On  awaking,  his  anger 
seemed  to  be  appeased,  but  his  resentment  was  as  strong 
as  ever.  He  took  no  notice  of  Anthime's  advances  beyond 
a  glance  of  disdain,  and  made  his  meaning  additionally 
plain  by  giving  his  hand  to  Magloire. 

"  Ah,  sir,"  said  the  latter,  "  what  an  escape  we  have  had  ! 
But  I  should  have  been  very  sorry  to  have  missed  making 
that  ascent.  It  will  be  a  famous  page  in  your  life, 
doctor." 

The  doctor  replied  by  a  significant  grimace. 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  that  troubles  me,"  said  Ma- 
gloire. "  I  should  like  to  know  where  we  are." 

"  We  are  in  Europe,  Magloire." 

"  If  you  say  so,  sir — " 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS. 


297 


"  The  costume  of  the  two  poor  fellows  who  have  taken 
our  place  in  the  balloon  is  a  proof  of  that." 

"  If  I  might  remark  to  you,  sir — " 

"  And  the  sea,  Magloire  ;  that  blue,  tideless  sea — no  ebb, 
no  flow." 

"  You  have  observed  that,  sir  ? " 

"  It  is,  beyond  a  doubt,  the  Mediterranean." 

"  Ah,  sir,  science  is  a  fine  thing  !  " 

For  once  the  doctor  received  an  indirect  tribute  of  ad- 
miration coldly. 


Dr.  Quies,  now  quite  worn  out,  slept  profoundly. 

"  Everything  leads  me  to  believe,"  he  continued  "  that  we 
are  on  the  continent,  and  that  within  a  short  distance  we 
ought  to  find  dwellings  and  inhabitants." 

"  Let  us  set  out  then,  sir." 

"  Set  out,  Magloire  ?  Could  not  you  go  and  explore  in 
the  first  instance  ?  Walking  tires  me,  as  you  know.  Go 
so  far  as  the  nearest  village,  and  bring  me  back  a  horse  or 
a  mule  that  will  carry  me,  or  better  still,  a  carriage  of  some 
sort." 


298  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  As  you  please,  sir." 

Magloire  set  off  gaily,  leaving  M.  Bonamy  and  the 
doctor  face  to  face.  They  breakfasted  on  mussels  ;  they 
dined  on  mussels  ;  and  from  the  rising  of  the  sun,  until 
the  going  down  thereof,  they  did  not  exchange  a  single 
word. 

In  the  evening  Magloire  returned,  dead  tired. 

"  Well  ?  "  asked  the  doctor  eagerly. 

"  We  are  in  an  island,  sir,"  answered  Magloire  with  a 
smile. 

"  Uninhabited  ? " 

"  Ves,  sir." 

This  final  blow  finished  Dr.  Quies  ;  he  let  his  head  drop 
upon  his  hands,  and  groaned, — 

"  It  is  all  over." 


DR.   J.   B.   QUl£S.  299 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

DE   PROFUNDIS   CLAMAVI   AD   TE,   DOMINI. 

Six  weeks  had  elapsed  since  the  departure  of  Dr.  Quies 
and  his  companions,  and  his  Majesty  King  Spring  had 
made  his  solemn  re-entry  into  the  good  town  of  Saint- 
Pignon  les  Girouettes. 

The  glad  sunshine  of  April  speckled  the  slate  roofs  with 
gold,  and  all  the  gardens  with  emerald.  The  swallows  had 
come  back,  and  the  tomtits  and  chaffinches  were  making 
their  nests  and  twittering  on  every  side. 

The  inhabitants  greeted  the  new  season  gladly,  like  the 
birds  and  the  plants.  Faces  were  more  good-humoured 
eyes  were  brighter  than  at  other  times,  and  all  small 
differences  seemed  to  be  laid  aside,  for  the  moment  at 
all  events.  There  was  no  law  business  ;  there  were 
no  police  cases  ;  never  had  the  tranquillity  of  Saint- 
Pignon  been  more  profound.  All  the  inhabitants  were 
quietly  attending  to  their  ordinary  business.  M.  de  Pre*- 
chafoin  was  watching  over  the  interests  of  the  Society,  the 
mayor  over  the  administration  of  the  commune,  and 
Mdme.  Ragot  over  the  welfare  of  her  six  daughters,  whose 
six  husbands  -  a  rare  thing  to  relate — had  not  given  her 
any  cause  of  complaint. 

Unfortunately,  there  is  no  horizon  without  a  black  speck. 
Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  was,  at  the  present  moment,  the  black 
speck  of  his  birthplace.  No  news  of  him  had  reached 
Saint-Pignon  since  the  day  of  his  departure.  And  yet 
that  is  not  an  absolutely  correct  statement,  for  M.  de  Pre"- 


300 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


chafoin  had  received  a  brief  telegram  from   his  correspon- 
dent at  Turn-Severin,  to  the  following  effect  : — 

"  J.  B.  Quies  and  Anthime  Bonamy  gone  up  in  the 
'  Capricorn.'  No  news  of  the  balloon." 

M.  de  Prechafoin's  previous  experience  of  the  danger  of 
allowing  such  serious  news,  which  might  be  contradicted 
between  one  day  and  the  next,  to  get  out,  induced  him  to 
conceal  the  fact  that  he  had  been  apprised  of  the  cata- 
strophe, until  it  should  have  received  confirmation. 

The  prolonged  silence  caused  much  uneasiness  to  those 
who  were  interested  in  the  doctor,  and,  as  we  know,  their 
number  was  large.  The  only  person  who  could  have 
rejoiced  in  the  probability  of  the  final  disappearance  of 
Quies  was  Mdme.  Ra^ot,  whose  chances  of  fortune  were 
augmented  with  each  day's  delay.  Strange  to  say,  she  was, 
quite  sincerely,  more  anxious  than  any  other  person  re- 
specting the  fate  of  her  good  cousin  !  This  was  because  she 
could  not  shake  off  the  remembrance  of  the  evil  counsel 
which  her  cupidity  had  inspired ;  perhaps  Anthime  had  acted 
upon  it  ;  perhaps  he  had  been  the  victim  of  it  together  with 
Quies  !  In  that  case  she  had  two  deaths  on  her  conscience  ! 
Now,  hardened  though  she  was  by  selfishness,  Mdme.  Ragot 
felt  that  such  a  load  was  more  than  she  could  bear. 

These  few  words  will  explain  how  and  why  she  fainted 
away  stone-dead  on  the  day  when  the  Mayor  of  Saint- 
Pignon  communicated  to  her  the  following  letter  which  he 
had  just  received  : — 

"Consulate  of  France  at  Parga  (Turkey  in  Europe).. 
"  SIR, — I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  two  French- 
men, belonging  to  your  town,  have  been  buried  in  the 
Christian  cemetery  at  Gallipoli,  in  the  presence  of  respect- 
able witnesses  who  have  formally  identified  them.  I 
forward  to  you  herewith,  in  confirmation,  various  articles 
of  a  nature  to  establish  the  identity  of  the  deceased 
persons.  The  certificates  of  death  have  been  made  out  by 
my  direction,  I  subjoin  them,  as  also  two  testamentary  acts, 
dated  and  signed,  of  which  I  have  kept  copies." 


DR.   J.    B.   QUl£S. 


301 


Dead  !     Anthime  and  Quies  both  dead  !     Doubt  was  no 
longer  possible. 

M.  de  Prechafoin  then  resolved  to  make  known  the  infor- 


The  wreck  of  the  "  Capricorn. " 

mation  which  he  had  received  from  Turn-Severin.  The 
letter  'from  the  French  Consul  at  Parga  was  only  a  sad 
sequel.  It  was  not,  then,  in  order  to  ascer'ain  the  certainty 


302 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


of  a  misfortune  which  was,  alas !  only  too  certain,  but  for 
the  purpose  of  learning  all  its  details,  that  the  mayor,  at 
the  instance  of  M.  de  Prechafoin,  begged  to  have  an  exact 
report  of  the  event  and  the  circumstances  under  which  it 
had  taken  place  furnished  to  him  from  Parga. 

We  give  this  document  in  its  entirety,  as  it  was  for- 
warded from  the  Consulate  :  — 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  22nd  February  of  this  year,  in 
stormy  weather,  a  balloon  in  distress  was  observed,  two 
miles  out  to  sea,  floating  on  the  crest  of  the  waves.  From 


The  balloon  floated  upon  the  waves. 

the  ships  in  harbour  two  men  could  be  distinctly  made 
out,  striving  in  desperation  to  lighten  the  car.  Two  life- 
boats were  immediately  sent  to  their  aid.  One  capsized, 
its  crew  were  happily  saved  ;  the  other  was  forced  to  aban- 
don the  attempt  and  re-enter  the  port.  We  could  do  no 
more,  and  remained  spectators  of  this  drama  whose  terrible 
conclusion  seemed  inevitable.  In  fact,  the  car  was  speedily 
submerged  ;  the  balloon,  beaten  by  the  waves,  and  burst 
open,  floated  upon  the  waves  like  the  fragment  of  a  sail. 

"  The  wind  having  fallen  towards  evening,  other  boats 
were  again  sent  out  to  search,  and  these  returned,  bringing 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  303 

with  them  the  remains  of  the  balloon.  On  its  cover  the 
name  "  Capricorn  "  was  made  out,  while  underneath  it  the 
name  of  the  builder  at  Pesth  (Hungary)  was  to  be  de- 
ciphered readily. 

"  The  papers  found  in  the  car,  consisting  of  letters,  visiting 
cards,  and  two  writings  in  the  form  of  wills,  proved  that 
the  victims  of  the  accident  were  of  French  nationality,  and 
steps  were  immediately  taken  by  the  Consul  to  ascertain 
their  identity. 

"  The  builder  of  the  balloon  stated  that  the  '  Capricorn  ' 
had  been  despatched  to  Turn-Severin  on  the  occasion  of 
the  Scientific  Congress  recently  held  there.  The  Consul 
immediately  inquired  at  Turn-Severin  the  names  of  the 
aeronauts  who  had  gone  up  in  the  '  Capricorn,'  and  re- 
ceived for  answer  that  they  were  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  and 
M.  Anthime  Bonamy  :  these  names  corresponded  with  the 
papers  found  in  the  car. 

"On  the  2$th,  three  days  after  this  lamentable  cata- 
strophe, the  bodies  of  the  victims  were  washed  ashore,  and 
the  Consul  requested  that  two  of  the  members  of  the 
Congress  should  repair  with  all  possible  speed  to  Parga,  in 
order  to  identify  them.  The  bodies,  having  been  exposed 
to  the  fury  of  the  waves  and  beaten  against  the  rocks  on 
the  coast  for  upwards  of  sixty  hours,  were  almost  naked, 
and  much  disfigured ;  nevertheless  MM.  Poporoskoff  and 
Galeotti,  the  Russian  and  Italian  delegates  to  the  Congress 
of  Turn-Severin,  declared  that  they  recognized  them,  one 
on  account  of  the  unusual  height  of  the  individual,  the 
other  on  account  of  his  obesity.  In  their  opinion  doubt 
was  not  possible. 

"  This  statement  being  corroborated  by  the  papers  in  our 
possession,  and  by  the  circumstances  of  the  terrible  occur- 
rence which  had  been  witnessed  by  a  large  number  of 
people,  the  Consul  thought  it  right  to  draw  up  the  death 
certificates  of  MM.  J.  B.  Quies  and  Anthime  Bonamy,  and 
to  have  their  bodies  interred  in  the  Christian  cemetery  at 
Parga,  in  the  presence  of  the  under-named." 


304  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Everybody  had  evidently  acted  with  simple  good  faith  in 
this  matter.  The  two  delegates  had  recognized,  or  believed 
that  they  recognized,  the  two  disfigured  bodies.  It  could 
not  have  entered  their  imagination  that  the  "  Capricorn"  had 
changed  its  passengers  as  a  hackney-coach  might  have  done. 

And  so,  henceforth,  in  the  belief  of  everybody,  Dr.  J.  B. 
Ouies  and  M.  Anthime  Bonamy  were  dead  and  buried  ! 

Two  such  renowned  savants  could  not  disappear  from 
the  town  which  they  had  adorned  without  having  public 
homage  done  to  their  memory.  M.  de  Prechafoin  sum- 
moned his  esteemed  colleagues,  and  delivered  two  funeral 
addresses,  which  began  with,  "  Standing  by  this  hardly- 
closed  grave,"  and  ended  with,  "  Adieu,  Quies  ;  Anthime 
Bonamy,  adieu !  " 

The  meeting  then  proceeded  to  pass  two  important 
resolutions.  It  was  resolved  that  the  statue  of  Dr.  J.  B. 
Quies  should  be  solemnly  inaugurated  on  the  Grande 
Place ;  it  was  also  resolved  that  an  application  should  be 
made  to  the  Municipal  Council  for  the  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing permission  to  have  the  bodies  of  the  two  savants 
brought  back  from  Gallipoli,  and  buried  with  great  pomp 
at  Saint-Pignon,  all  at  the  expense  of  the  commune. 

The  applications  having  been  made  on  the  same  day,  the 
Municipal  Council  granted  all  that  was  asked,  and  two  of 
the  members  of  the  society  set  out  immediately,  their 
mission  being  to  bring  back  to  France  the  mortal  remains 
of  the  doctor  and  his  companion. 

The  formal  certificates  of  death  having  been  transcribed 
upon  the  registers,  the  two  wills  were  handed  over  to 
Maitre  Grimblot,  who  pushed  forward  the  settlement  of 
affairs  vigorously,  sleeing  that  the  property  in  question  was 
important  in  amount,  and  that  his  own  pickings  in  the 
business  would  be  considerable. 

After  the  short  delay  required  by  law,  Mdme.  Ragot 
was  put  into  possession  of  the  goods  of  her  cousin,  Dr. 
J.  B.  Quies. 

In  virtue  of  the  deed  executed  by  her  for  the  benefit  of 


DR.  J.   B.   QUlfcS.  305 

M.  Bonamy,  and  by  which  the  reversionary  interest  of 
three-fourths  of  the  property  was  reserved  to  her,  one' 
fourth  only  was  assigned  to  Anthime's  heirs,  with  whom 
we  have  nothing  to  do. 

The  surplus  sufficed  to  make  Mdme.  Ragot  very  well 
off,  and  she  at  once  became  one  of  the  most  important 
personages  of  the  town.  The  enjoyment  of  her  new  posi- 
tion could  not,  however,  stifle  her  remorse.  As  an  act  of 
penance  she  went  to  see  Gertrude,  who  was  in  profound 
grief  for  her  master's  death  (the  more  especially  as  she  was 
not  mentioned  in  his  will),  and  settled  an  annuity  of  six 
hundred  francs  upon  her.  She  also  retained  her  as  house- 
keeper, saying  that  she  intended  to  live  in  the  doctor's 
house  without  making  any  change,  in  order  to  keep  the 
memory  of  her  excellent  cousin  constantly  alive  and 
present. 

This  act  of  contrition — at  the  cost  of  twelve  thousand 
francs — did  not  calm  her  restless  spirit.  Being  dissatisfied 
with  herself,  Mdme.  Ragot  soon  became  dissatisfied  with 
everybody  and  anything,  and  with  her  general  discontent 
and  trouble  came  a  great  longing  to  divert  her  thoughts. 
She  scandalized  Saint-Pignon  by  parading  her  grief  in  a 
carriage  and  pair,  drying  her  tears  with  embroidered  hand- 
kerchiefs, at  four  hundred  francs  apiece,  and,  in  a  word, 
setting  a  lamentable  example  of  levity  and  extravagance 
at  forty-five.  The  proceeds  of  a  fortune  placed  in 
land  being  necessarily  insufficient  for  such  a  style  of 
living,  Mdme.  Ragot  realized  a  portion  of  the  pro- 
perty and  bought  shares  in  the  Company  of  the  Gal- 
leons of  Vera-Cruz,  which  offered  its  shareholders  the 
chances  of  a  lottery  with  a  chief  prize  of  six  hundred 
thousand  francs,  in  addition  to  yearly  interest  at  six 
per  cent,  and  twenty-five  per  cent,  dividend.  M.  de 
Prechafoin  considered  it  his  duty  to  make  certain  observa- 
tions in  her  own  interest  respecting  this. 

"  It  is  no  business  of  yours,"  was  the  curt  reply  of  Mdme. 
Ragot. 
20 


3C6  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

Maitre  Grimblot  also  remonstrated,  and  she  answered,— 

"  Let  me  alone  !  " 

Mdme.  Ragot  had  evidently  lost  her  head,  and  was 
only  temporarily  recalled  to  reason  by  the  return  of  the 
two  members  of  the  Geographical  Society,  who  brought 
back  to  Saint-Pignon  the  mortal  remains  of  the  two 
illustrious  martyrs  of  science.  Never  was  there  a  more 
imposing  ceremony.  The  fire  brigade,  in  full  uniform, 
lined  the  route,  with  crape  on  their  arms,  their  guns,  their 
flag,  and  their  drums.  A  roll  of  the  latter  instruments 
announced  each  stage  of  the  approach  of  the  funeral  pro- 
cession, headed  by  a  detachment  of  the  National  Guard. 
The  pall-bearers  were  M.  de  Prechafoin,  Maitre  Grimblot, 
with  two  delegates  of  the  learned  societies  of  the  depart- 
ment for  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies,  and  four  members  of  the  Society 
of  Saint-Pignon  for  Anthime. 

The  two  coffins  were  followed  by  the  public  functionaries 
and  chief  personages  of  the  town,  maintaining  a  solemn  and 
serious  demeanour,  and  with  bare  heads.  They  were 
followed  by  the  entire  population.  Among  the  crowd, 
weeping,  but  unobserved,  were  M.  de  Malleville,  his  wife, 
and  Henri.  Real  grief  seeks  no  display. 

The  church  had  been  hung  with  black.  Two  catafalques 
were  placed  in  the  middle,  surrounded  with  wax  torches, 
and  cressets  in  which  a  greenish  flame  burned,  with  a 
strange  and  striking  effect.  The  organ  was  played  by  an 
artist  engaged  expressly  from  Paris,  the  Dies  Ir<z  was 
chanted  by  an  opera-singer,  and  the  De  Profundis  by  the 
choral  society  of  the  department. 

To  the  present  day  that  magnificent  funeral  service  is 
talked  of  at  Saint-Pignon.  The  minutest  details  of  it  were 
given  in  all  the  local  journals. 

On  the  conclusion  of  the  service  in  the  church,  the  bodies 
were  taken  with  the  same  ceremonial  to  the  cemetery.  M. 
de  Prechafoin  began  to  deliver  a  funeral  address,  but  was 
unable  to  finish  it.  He  wept  so  profusely  that  he  was 
obliged  to  remove  and  dry  his  gold-rimmed  spectacles, 


DR.   J.   B.   QUlfcS.  307 

which  he  did  not  remember  to  have  taken  off  for  twenty- 
five  years  previously. 

On  the  following  day,  of  all  the  pomp  which  had  cost 
fifteen  thousand  francs  to  the  town  of  Saint-Pignon  les 
Girouettes,  nothing  remained. 


30  8  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

FROM    THREE   TAKE   ONE — TWO    REMAIN. 

IF  Dr.  Quies  had  indeed  died,  we  know  that  it  was  not  in 
the  car  of  the  "  Capricorn."  In  the  document  transmitted 
by  the  authorities  at  Parga  there  was  an  error,  both  of  iden- 
tity and  fact ;  for — we  do  not  mind  letting  it  be  known 
at  once — the  doctor  was  not  dead.  Perhaps,  however,  he 
might  as  well  have  been. 

We  are  about  to  state  how  and  why. 

On  learning  the  terrible  result  of  Magloire's  explora- 
tion, his  energies  collapsed,  as  we  have  seen,  and  he  let 
himself  fall  flat  on  his  face  on  the  ground,  his  head  in  his 
hands.  His  reason  had  forsaken  him.  Wild  ideas  without 
any  connection  whirled  through  his  brain  ;  he  called  upon 
death  to  deliver  him. 

We  may  nevertheless  conjecture  that  if  death  had  taken 
him  at  his  word,  he  would  have  asked  leave  to  reflect, 
seeing  that  when  he  awoke  next  morning  he  contrived  to 
eat  a  dozen  mussels  and  to  drink  some  water.  Poor 
though  it  was,  this  meal  restored  him  to  some  extent,  and 
enabled  him  to  perceive  that  he  was  alone  at  table. 

Alone  !  His  companions  had  left  him  to  his  wretched 
fate.  There  was  nothing  surprising  in  this  on  the  part 
of  Anthime,  but  Magloire  !  so  faithful  and  devoted  a 
servant. 

"  Oh  !  human  selfishness,"  he  groaned,  in  the  bitterness 
of  his  soul ;  and  once  more  he  lay  down  flat  on  his  face 
with  his  head  in  his  hands,  that  he  might  see  nothing  and 
forget  everything  while  awaiting  the  inevitable  outcome 


DR.   J.   B.   QUl£S.  309 

of  this  last  device  of  fate.  He  had  been  lying  thus  for  six 
hours  and  a  half,  when  a  well-known  voice  made  him  start 
up,— 

''  We  are  saved,  doctor  ! "  cried  Magloire,  "  we  are 
saved  ! " 

The  doctor  hardly  understood  him. 

"  You  say — "  he  stammered. 

"  I  say,  sir,  that  we  are  saved.  This  morning,  M. 
Bonamy — " 

The  doctor  frowned  on  hearing  the  detested  name. 

"  Pointed  out  to  me,"  continued  Magloire,  "  that  the 
men  who  were  in  the  island  when  we  reached  it  could  only 
have  come  there  in  a  boat,  and  that  as  they  went  away 
in  a  balloon,  their  boat  must  have  been  left  somewhere  on 
the  coast." 

"  Well,  and  the  boat  ?  " 

"  Ah,  sir,  we  all  go  far  afield  in  search  of  what  is  under 
our  hand.  We  have  just  found  it,  not  fifty  yards  from 
this  spot.  Come,  sir,  come." 

"  And  our  provisions  ?  " 

Dr.  Quies,  it  will  be  seen,  did  not  mean  to  die. 

''  We  shall  not  want  any,  sir.  I  have  made  out  a  coast 
on  the  east-north-east.  We  shall  be  there  before  night." 

While  speaking,  he  had  led  his  master  to  a  little  creek, 
where  a  boat,  with  all  its  gear  complete,  sails,  oars, 
rudder,  &c.,  was  swaying  gracefully  upon  the  water.  They 
had  only  to  cast  it  loose  and  head  it  for  the  line  of  coast 
visible  on  the  horizon. 

M.  Bonamy  was  about  to  embark,  when  Dr.  Quies 
stopped  him. 

"  One  moment — "  said  he. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Anthime,  "  to  you  the  first  place." 
But  Dr.  Quies  stood  stock-still,  and  merely  shook  his  head. 
"  Then,"  said  M.  Bonamy,  "  I  shall  get  in." 
For  the  second  time  Quies  checked  him. 
"  There  is  not  room  for  three  in  that  boat,"  said  he  in 
a  grave,  almost  lugubrious  tone. 


310  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  Are  you  mad,  Quies  ?     The  boat  would  hold  ten  easily." 

"  Perhaps  so,  sir  ;  but  it  cannot  hold  you  and  me  ! " 

The  "  you "  and  "  me  "  were  accompanied  by  a  fierce 
look,  and  its  meaning  did  not  escape  M.  Bonamy. 

"  What  absurd  notion  are  you  taking  up  again  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  One  of  us  two,  sir,  shall  not  leave  this  place." 

"  Then  you  may  stay  if  you  please,  my  dear  Quies. 
As  for  me,  I  don't  care  to  do  so." 

"  Nevertheless,  sir,  you  will  remain  here,  if  such  be  the 
decree  of  fate." 

"  Do  you  mean  that — " 

"  I  mean,  sir,  that  I  shall  play  you  for  this  boat." 

"At  billiards?"  asked  M.  Bonamy,  ironically. 

"  No,  sir,  at  tosspenny,"  answered  Quies,  passing  dis- 
dainfully over  the  insolence  of  the  jest. 

"  What  a  capital  idea ! "  cried  Magloire,  clapping  his 
hands.  "  Oh,  sir,  if  you  might  only  lose  !  " 

"  How  ?  what  ? "  said  Quies,  by  no  means  pleased  at  the 
prospect. 

"  Thinking  of  what  an  ignorant  man  like  Robinson 
Crusoe  contrived  to  do  in  his  desert  island,  I  am  curious 
to  know  what  a  learned  man,  like  you,  sir,  could  do  under 
the  same  conditions.  It  would  make  such  a  fine  book  for 
the  future ! " 

Was  Magloire  in  earnest  ?  There  is  every  reason  to 
believe  he  was. 

M.  Bonamy,  however,  took  this  observation  only  for 
a  mild  quizzing  of  Dr.  Quies  ;  and  although  he  could 
not  bring  himself  to  regard  his  rival's  .  strange  proposal 
seriously,  he  thought  it  well  to  humour  his  folly  by  say- 
ing— 

"  Just  as  you  like." 

The  doctor  took  out  a  sou,  and  throwing  it  up  in  the 
air,  said, — 

"  Call." 

"  Head  !  "  cried  Bonamy. 


DR.   J.%  B.   QUlfcS.  311 

"  You  have  won  !  "  said  Magloire,  stooping  over  the  coin 
which  had  fallen  on  the  ground. 

Dr.  Quies  lifted  up  his  hands  and  eyes,  and,  without  a 
word  to  M.  Bonamy  or  to  Magloire,  hurried  away  almost  at 


Magloire  gave  the  boat  a  vigorous  push. 

a  run,  fleeing  from  the  sight  of  the  boat  in  which  there  was 

safety,  but  which  he  could  not  enter. 

"  Quies  !  "  cried  M.  Bonamy,  "  you  are  mad  !  " 
The  doctor  was  already  too  far  off  to  hear  him. 
"  Magloire,"  said  he,  "  run.  bring  him  back !  " 


312  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  No,  sir,  no." 

"  What  ?  " 

"  The  destiny  of  a  savant  must  not  be  thwarted." 

"  But  the  poor  wretch  will  perish  here,  miserably,  with- 
out aid—" 

"  I  am  here,  sir." 

"  You  remain,  then,  Magloire  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir.'' 

"  So,"  growled  M.  Bonamy,  "  through  the  obstinacy  of 
these  two  madmen,  I  am  to  be  forced  to  stay  here,  a 
prisoner  on  this  rock,  without  food,  without  shelter — " 

"  You,  sir  ?  but  you  are  quite  free  to  go  away.  The  land 
is  not  far  of,  and  the  sail  is  set." 

M.  Bonamy  was  visibly  a  prey  to  painful  hesitation,  and 
this  ought  to  be  recorded  to  his  praise.  Nevertheless,  he 
had  got  into  the  boat.  He  would  not,  however,  have  aban- 
doned Dr.  Quies  to  his  fate  if  Magloire  had  not  given  the 
boat  a  vigorous  push,  and  shoved  it  off  some  feet  from  the 
shore,  when  it  instantly  scudded  before  the  wind. 

Anthime  was  a  very  poor  mariner.  Magloire  could  see 
him,  for  a  few  minutes,  making  great  efforts  to  regain  the 
island,  but  the  wind  blew  freshly  and  rilled  the  sail  ;  the 
boat  was  going  at  fifteen  knots.  At  the  end  of  an  hour  it 
had  become  an  almost  imperceptible  speck  on  the  sea.  A 
quarter  of  an  hour  more,  and  it  had  entirely  disappeared. 

Then  Magloire  went  in  search  of  his  master,  whom  he 
found  at  some  distance  inland  in  a  state  of  profound 
dejection. 

"  Gone  ?  "  asked  the  poor  doctor. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  Magloire,  rubbing  his  hands. 

"  And  you  have  not  forsaken  me,  Magloire  ?  " 

"Oh,  sir!" 

The  doctor's  eye  was  moistened  by  a  tear  ;  he  would 
probably  have  saved  it  up  for  a  better  occasion,  had  he 
been  aware  of  the  fresh  trick  that  his  servant  had  played 
him  in  his  intemperate  zeal.  Perhaps,  also,  he  might  have 
yielded  to  a  fit  of  anger  equally  legitimate  and  useless. 


Magloire  summoned  up  strength  to  light  a  fire. 


DR.  J.   B.   9UlfcS.  315 

When  wine  is  poured  out  it  must  be  drunk. 

Alas !  they  had  not  even  the  thinnest  of  wine ;  and,  in 
deference  to  the  claims  of  truth,  it  must  be  acknowledged 
that  when  forty-eight  hours  had  elapsed,  bringing  home 
to  Magloire  the  conviction  that  his  master,  although  a 
member  of  fifty  learned  societies,  was  inferior  to  Robin- 
son, he  repented  him  that  he  had  played  so  bold  a  game. 
When  three  days  had  elapsed,  his  regret  had  deepened 
into  remorse,  and  at  the  end  of  a  week  he  would  have 
given  his  right  hand  for  M.  Bonamy's  boat.  The  island 
proved  to  be  more  barren  than  he  had  supposed.  No  food 
of  any  kind  except  mussels  was  to  be  found  there.  Now, 
mussels  form  a  dainty  article  of  diet,  but — to  eat  them,  and 
nothing  else,  at  every  meal,  without  salt,  and  without 
bread  !  The  doctor  and  Magloire  himself  could  no  longer 
swallow  more  of  them  than  barely  sufficed  to  still  the  pangs 
of  hunger. 

Nevertheless  the  doctor  became  hardly  at  all  thinner. 
Probably  it  was  not  in  his  nature  to  do  so  ;  but  his  health 
failed  daily,  his  mental  faculties  seemed  weakened.  He  no 
longer  spoke,  except  very  rarely,  and  then  his  words  were 
vague  and  unconnected.  Such  a  trial  as  this,  was,  seem- 
inglv,  beyond  his  endurance. 

Magloire,  although  a  stronger  man,  was  very  little  better 
than  his  master  after  five  weeks  of  this  unfortunate  experi- 
ence. He  wasted  away  to  a  skeleton,  and  his  high  spirits 
disappeared.  He  sat  all  day  huddled-up  on  the  shore, 
searching  the  horizon  with  his  eyes,  and  only  summoned 
up  strength  in  the  evening  to  light  a  big  fire  of  weeds  and 
brushwood,  as  a  signal  of  distress  which  a  passing  ship 
might  perceive  and  understand. 

In  the  morning  the  fire  was  extinct,  the  island  was  still 
desert,  the  horizon  showed  no  sail.  But  all  this  did  not 
prevent  him  from  doing  the  same  thing  the  next  evening. 
He  clung  to  life,  and  even  in  this  deplorable  extremity  he 
preserved  a  ray  of  hope,  while  the  unhappy  doctor  no 
longer  entertained  the  least  spark.  Without  will,  without 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS  OF 


strength,  and  entirely  prostrate,  he  was  like  a  mussel 
among  the  mussels  on  which  he  went  on  feeding  mechani- 
cally. Were  we  not  correct  in  saying  at  the  beginning  of 
this  chapter,  that  although  he  was  not  dead,  he  might  as 
well  have  been  ? 

But  God  is  all-powerful,  and  the  designs  of  His  provi- 
dence are  past  finding  out. 


DR.  J.   B.   QUIES.  317 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

IN    WHICH    DR.   J.   B.    QUIES    ARRIVES    JUST    IN    TIME   TO 
REAP   THE   FRUITS   OF    HIS    REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES. 

IT  would  be  natural  to  conclude,  from  the  foregoing, 
that  while  poor  Quies,  suffering  all  the  tortures  of  hunger 
and  exhaustion,  was  counting,  or  believed  himself  to  be 
counting,  his  last  hours,  M.  Anthime  Bonamy  had  been 
safely  restored  to  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes,  and  that  his 
return  was  already  an  old  story. 

Nothing  of  the  sort !  Even  at  three  weeks'  later  date 
he  had  not  reappeared,  and  it  is  not  he  whom  we  meet  on 
a  fine  afternoon  in  April,  at  the  foot  of  the  gentle  hill 
on  which  the  white  houses  of  the  pretty  little  town  and 
their  gardens,  all  abloom  with  spring  flowers,  are  ranged 
in  symmetrical  lines. 

It  is  not  he  !  it  is  the  doctor  in  person,  accompanied  by 
his  faithful  servant  Magloire. 

"  Ah,  my  good  friend,"  says  the  doctor,  "  how  my  heart 
beats  !  I  have  never  in  my  life  felt  so  sweet  and  yet  so 
poignant  an  emotion." 

"  I  understand  you,  sir,''  answered  Magloire,  "  and  I  will 
not  conceal  that  I  myself — " 

"  That  is  not  your  church-spire,  nevertheless."  The 
doctor  pointed  to  the  glittering  vane  upun  the  hill-top. 

"  No,  sir,  but  is  a  church  spire." 

"Ah,  ah,  I  take  your  meaning." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  acknowledge  it.  We  have  seen  death  so 
near." 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


"  Are  you  quite  sure,  Magloire,  that  we  were  not  dead 
when  that  fishing-boat  put  in  at  our  island  ?  " 

"  I  think  so,  sir,  since  the  boat  took  us  to  Rhodes,  from 


.••:'•'  .  V;    ry   .:"•• 


Arrival  of  Dr.  Quies  and  Magloire  at  Saint-  Pignon. 

whence  we  came  back  to  Marseilles  in  a  Government  ship, 
and  here  we  are  at  Saint- Pignon." 

"It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  either  come  to  life  again, 


DR.    J.   B.   QUltS. 


319 


or  been  merely  dreaming.  Would  you  believe  it,  Magloire, 
I  feel  no  enmity  at  all  against  my  rival,  notwithstanding 
the  incredible  selfishness  of  his  conduct  ?  " 


Gertrude  fell  into  a  swoon. 


"  Ah,  sir,  you  may  forgive  him,  for   if  it   had  not  been 
for  me — " 

"What  do  you  mean,  Magloire  ?" 


320  THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 

"  Ah,  sir,  if  it  were  to  be  done  over  again  !  However, 
I  have  been  sufficiently  punished  for  my  fault." 

The  doctor  was  too  much  moved,  too  happy  to  be 
severe.  He  pressed  the  suppliant  hand  which  Magloire 
held  out  to  him,  and  quickened  his  steps. 

Five  minutes  later,  he  entered  the  town.  He  expected 
to  be  recognized,  and  welcomed  on  all  sides.  At  that 
hour,  soon  after  midday,  and  when  the  sun  was  shining  so 
brightly,  every  door  ought  to  have  been  open. 

It  was  a  very  odd  thing  ;  but  every  door  was  shut  ! 
Not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen  at  the  windows  ;  the  streets 
were  empty  ;  the  houses  were  to  all  appearance  forsaken. 
Quies  repaired  to  his  own  house.  The  door  was  not  shut ; 
he  went  in,  and  knocked  up  against  Gertrude,  who  was 
just  coming  out  in  all  her  Sunday  finery.  He  stretched 
out  his  arms  to  embrace  her,  but  he  had  not  time  to  do  so  ; 
for  Gertrude,  at  sight  of  her  master,  threw  up  her  hands, 
opened  her  mouth  to  utter  a  cry,  but  could  not  produce  a 
sound,  and  fell  at  full  length  upon  the  floor  of  the  dining- 
room  in  a  swoon. 

Magloire  applied  himself  to  the  task  of  reviving  her, 
while  the  doctor  went  impatiently  over  the  whole  of  that 
dear  abode  in  which  he  had  passed  the  early  years  of  his 
life  so  peacefully,  and  whither  he  had  been  permitted  by 
the  Almighty  to  return  for  its  later  period.  All  was  in 
order ;  everything  was  in  its  former  place  ;  his  collections, 
his  books,  his  boxes,  and  his  papers.  One  thing  only 
surprised  him  very  much,  an  enormous  quantity  of  petti- 
coats, gowns,  and  general  feminine  gear  was  amassed 
in  his  bedroom. 

He  was  meditating  deeply  upon  this  astonishing  dis- 
covery, when  Magloire  reappeared,  and  said, — 

"  You  ought  to  go  into  town,  sir,  and  let  your  friends 
see  you." 

'  You  are  right,"  said  Quies,  "  let  us  go." 

They  set  out  ;  but  had  only  reached  the  end  of  the 
main  street,  when  they  were  stopped  by  a  considerable 


Dr.  Quies  speaks  in  person. 


DR.   J.    B.   QUlfcS.  323 

crowd.  All  the  town  in  gala  attire  was  assembled  upon 
the  Grande  Place.  Quies  was  endeavouring  to  ascertain 
the  cause  of  this  manifestation,  when  he  was  recognized 
by  the  mayor,  who  was  late  in  arriving,  and  who  uttered 
so  loud  an  exclamation  that  the  whole  town  turned  round 
at  once. 

"  Living  !  Quies  living  !  " 

The  words  rose  like  a  rocket,  and  shot  out  in  all 
directions. 

We  shall  not  try  to  describe  the  tumult  that  ensued. 
Quies  was  pushed,  pulled,  bandied  about,  and  lifted  in 
scores  of  arms.  At  length,  not  knowing  how  he  came  there, 
he  found  himse'f  hoisted  up  on  a  pedestal  by  the  side  of 
a  gentleman  — in  marble — as  much  like  himself  as  one  drop 
of  water  is  like  another. 

His  statue  ! 

Quies  had  actually  arrived  at  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes 
on  the  very  day  of  the  inauguration  of  his  statue  in  the 
Grande  Place!  This  was  a  splendid  opportunity  for  M. 
de  Prechafoin,  who  had  already  begun  his  speech  with  the 
words  :  "  Standing  beside  the  hardly-closed  grave  " — he 
had  got  no  farther  when  the  voice  of  the  mayor  was  heard, 
proclaiming  the  glad  tidings,  and  it  was  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies 
in  person  who  displaced  him,  in  order  to  thank  his  fellow- 
townsmen  for  the  warm  welcome  which  he  was  receiving. 
He  was  genuinely  affected,  and  emotion  supplied  the  place 
of  eloquence.  We  regret  that  the  absence  of  a  reporter 
prevents  us  from  giving  a  summary  of  his  speech. 

When  he  had  been  well  stared  at,  we  11  shouted  at,  and 
applauded  to  the  echo,  he  was  taken  down  from  his 
pedestal,  and  escorted  to  his  own  house  with  military 
honours,  the  band  heading  the  procession. 

Gertrude  had  recovered  consciousness,  and  was  waiting 
for  him  ;  with  her  were  the  De  Mallevilles.  These 
good  people  had  come  to  Saint-Pignon  to  do  homage  to 
their  dead  friend,  and  were  not  a  little  rejoiced  to  be  able 
to  embrace  him  in  the  flesh.  Quies,  therefore,  was,  as  he 


324 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


would  have  wished  to  be,  surrounded  by  all  whom  he 
loved— all — except  indeed  his  cousin,  Mdme.  Ragot,  who 
had  also  fallen  into  a  swoon,  like  Gertrude,  but  had  not  yet 
come  to  herself. 

As  for  Magloire,  he  seemed  to   be  as  proud  as   if  his 
master's  fame  were  reflected  upon  him.     He  had,  indeed, 


Except  his  cousin,  Mdme.  Ragot,  who  had  also  fallen  into  a  swoon. 

good  reason  to  be  satisfied  ;  for  when  he  had  helped  the 
panting  doctor  up  the  three  steps  in  front  of  the  house, 
his  master  said  to  him, — 

"  Magloire,  if  it  had  not  been  for  you,  I  should  never 
again  have  seen  my  birth-place.  From  this  day,  I  will 
settle  an  annuity  upon  you,  which  will  place  you  above 
want  I  impose  on  you  one  condition  only." 


DR.   J.   B.   QUIES.  325 


"  What  is  it,  sir  ?  " 

"That  for  the  future  you  never  mention  travelling." 

The  rest  of  the  day  was,  naturally,  devoted  to  the 
questions,  explanations,  and  narrations  which  the  circum- 
stances demanded.  If  Quies  astonished  his  hearers  by 
relating  all,  or  a  part  of  his  adventures,  they  surprised  him 
none  the  less  by  informing  him  that  he  was  dead  and 
buried  ;  that  his  property  had  devolved  upon  his  heirs  ; 
that,  legally,  he  had  no  right  to  be  alive,  and  above  all, 
that  his  colleague,  M.  Bonamy,  had  not  reappeared  at 
Saint-Pignon.  Quies  entertained  no  doubt  that  poor 
Anthime  had  perished  at  sea,  in  that  boat  which  he  had 
so  foolishly  disputed  with  him.  The  doctor's  joy  at  being 
restored  to  his  home  was  slightly  overcast  by  his  regret 
on  this  account.  Nevertheless  he  was  anxious  to  ascertain 
his  own  position  as  quickly  as  possible.  He  discovered 
that  it  was  very  precarious. 

Mdme.  Ragot's  extravagance  had  made  a  serious  ho'e 
in  his  fortune.  The  galleons  of  Vera-Cruz  had  gone  to  the 
bottom  irrevocably.  The  little  that  remained  of  his  yearly 
income  of  thirty  thousand  francs,  was  placed  in  a  sound 
enterprise  with  good  security,  but  it  could  not  be  realized 
without  a  loss  of  two-thirds,  and,  besides,  a  lawsuit  between 
the  heirs  of  M.  Bonamy  on  the  one  side,  and  Mdme.  Ragot 
on  the  other,  seemed  inevitable. 

The  case  demanded  consideration. 

After  mature  reflection,  Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  that  if  two  moves  are  as  bad  as  a  fire,  a  lawsuit 
is  as  bad  as  ten  moves  ;  that  "  it  is  better  to  hold  than  to 
hunt ; "  and,  lastly,  that  it  would  be  cruel  to  reduce  his 
heirs  to  the  last  extremity,  considering  that  they  were 
victims  of  an  error,  in  the  highest  degree  satisfactory  to 
himself,  but  which  they  would  probably  regret  if  they  had 
to  pay  for  it. 

Accordingly  he  relinquished  one  hundred  thousand 
francs — their  legal  share  in  the  supposed  inheritance — to 
Anthime's  heirs,  for  an  annual  payment  of  three  thousand 


326 


THE   STARTLING   EXPLOITS   OF 


francs.  This  was  not  the  only  advantage  gained  by  his 
own  heirs.  Mdme.  Ragot  was  also  in  luck  ;  for  Quies, 
being  persuaded  by  Maitre  Grimblot  (who  was  not 
unwilling  to  make  his  own  profit  out  of  the  transaction), 
actually  made  up  his  mind  to — yes — to  marry  her,  rather 
than  risk  a  lawsuit ! 

That  made  a  great  noise,  but  everything  passes  in  this 
v.  orld. 

The  little  town  of  Saint-Pignon  les  Girouettes  soon 
resumed  its  customary  aspect,  and  by  degrees  the  events 
which  had  agitated  it  so  violently  were  forgotten. 


DR.   J.   B.   QUIES.  327 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

CONCLUSION. 

THREE  months  after  the  doctor's  marriage,  Commandant 
La  Carriole  set  out  with  his  family  fur  Algeria.  M.  de 
Malleville  had  generously  offered  to  associate  him  with 
himself  in  his  enterprise,  and  the  Commandant  had  gladly 
accepted  his  friend's  proposal.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  he 
let  Quies  know  that  all  was  going  on  well.  Henri  was 
still  the  excellent  fellow  he  had  always  been,  Baptistin  was 
growing  visibly,  and  as  for  La  Carriole  himself,  he  had 
nothing  to  desire,  except  that  Quies  should  make  up  his 
mind  to  come  out  and  join  them.  Instead  of  the  answer 
which  he  expected,  the  Commandant  received  the  fol- 
lowing : — 

"Dr.  J.  B.  Quies  has  the  honour  to  inform  you  of  the 
grievous  loss  which  he  has  just  sustained  in  the  person  of 
Mdme.  Prudence  Eleanor  Lechaude,  (widow)  Ragot,  his 
wife,  who  died  in  his  house  at  Saint- Pignon  les  Girouettes, 
in  her  fifty- sixth  year.  Pray  for  her  !  " 

La  Carriole  was  too  good  a  Christian  to  neglect  this 
injunction,  but  we  do  not  venture  to  affirm  that  he  was 
deeply  grieved  by  the  occasion  of  it.  Mdme.  Ragot- Quies 
had  given  but  little  to  others  during  her  lifetime,  and  she 
was  given  but  little  after  her  death.  The  affliction  caused 
by  that  event  was  only  moderate ;  as  moderate  as  the 
joy  with  which,  one  fine  day,  Saint-Pignon  learned  that 
M.  Anthime  Bonamy  had  reappeared.  He  had  been  cast 
upon  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor,  and  had  experienced  great 
difficulty  in  getting  back  to  his  native  country. 

These  two  events  would,  no  doubt,  have  seriously  dis- 
turbed the  doctor's  peace  had  they  not  occurred  in 


328       THE  STARTLING  EXPLOITS  OF  DR.  J.  B.  QUIES. 

immediate  succession.  But  the  joyfulness  of  one  neutra- 
lized the  grievousness  of  the  other,  and  the  balance  was 
restored. 

He  bore  his  widowhood  with  resignation,  and  stoically 
resumed  the  course  of  his  labours.  In  less  than  two  years 
he  had  published  eleven  volumes  : — 

Algiers  before  the  Conquest  of  1830. 

French  Colonization  in  Algeria. 

Algerian  Flora  and  Fauna. 

Remarks  on  the  Aboriginal  Populations  of  Algeria. 

A  brief  Geographical  Account  of  the  Region  of  the  Sahara. 

Ethnology  of  Central  Africa. 

A  Travellers  Notes  on  Nubia. 

Slavery  regarded  with  reference  to  European  Govern- 
ments. 

Reflections  on  tlie  Commercial  Future  of  Upper  Egypt. 

Hungary  and  its  Inhabitants. 

From  Pesth  to  Belgrade  by  the  Danube. 

Those  whom  chance  may  lead  to  Saint-Pignon  les 
Girouettes,  will  certainly  find  the  above-mentioned  works 
at  the  bookshop  kept  by  M.  Samuel  Colmet  in  the  said 
town,  unless  indeed  the  tenth  and  last  edition  has  been 
exhausted — good  fortune  that  rarely  befalls  a  book,  and 
which  we  earnestly  pray  heaven  to  grant  to  ours.  Amen. 


INTERESTING  BOOKS  FOR  BOYS. 


BOUND  VOLUMES  OF  HARPER'S  YOUNG  PEOPLE  for  1883, 
1884,  and  1885,  Handsomely  Bound  in  Illuminated  Cloth,  $3  50  per 
vol.  Bound  Volumes  for  1880,  1881, 1882,  and  1886  are  out  of  stock. 

THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  THE  RUSSIAN  EMPIRE.  Advent- 
ures of  Two  Youths  in  a  Journey  in  European  and  Asiatic  Russia. 
With  Accounts  of  a  Tour  across  Siberia,  Voyages  on  the  Amoor, 
Volga,  and  other  Rivers,  a  Visit  to  Central  Asia,  Travels  among  the 
Exiles,  and  a  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Empire  from  its  Foundation  to 
the  Present  Time.  By  THOMAS  W.  KNOX.  Copiously  Illustrated. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  Adventures  of 
Two  Youths  in  a  Journey  through  Ecuador,  Peru,  Bolivia,  Brazil, 
Paraguay,  Argentine  Republic,  and  Chili.  With  Descriptions  of 
Patagonia  and  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  Voyages  upon  the  Amazon  and 
La  Plata  Rivers.  By  THOMAS  W.  KNOX.  Copiously  Illustrated. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  THE  FAR  EAST.  By  THOMAS  W. 
KNOX.  Five  Parts.  Copiously  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00  each. 

PART  I.  ADVENTURES  OF  TWO  YOUTHS  IN  A  JOURNEY  TO 
JAPAN  AND  CHINA. 

PART  II.  ADVENTURES  OF  TWO  YOUTHS  IN  A  JOURNEY  TO 
SIAM  AND  JAVA.  With  Descriptions  of  Cochin-China,  Cambodia,  Suma- 
tra, and  the  Malay  Archipelago. 

PART  III.  ADVENTURES  OF  TWO  YOUTHS  IN  A  JOURNEY  TO 
CEYLON  AND  INDIA.  With  Descriptions  of  Borneo,  the  Philippine  Isl- 
ands, and  Burmah. 

PART  IV.  ADVENTURES  OF  TWO  YOUTHS  IN  A  JOURNEY  TO 
EGYPT  AND  PALESTINE. 

PART  V.  ADVENTURES  OF  TWO  YOUTHS  IN  A  JOURNEY 
THROUGH  AFRICA. 

THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  "VIVIAN"  to  the  North  Pole  and  Beyond. 
Adventures  of  Two  Youths  in  the  Open  Polar  Sea.  By  THOMAS  W. 
KNOX.  Profusely  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

HUNTING  ADVENTURES  ON  LAND  AND  SEA.  By  THOMAS 
W.  KNOX.  Two  Parts.  Copiously  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50 
each. 

PART  I.  THE  YOUNG  NIMRODS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 

PART  II.  THE  YOUNG  NIMRODS  AROUND   THE  WORLD. 


Interesting  Books  for  Boys. 


WHAT  MR.  DARWIN  SAW  IN  HIS  VOYAGE  ROUND  THE 
WORLD  IN  THE  SHIP  "BEAGLE."  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$300. 

BY  CHARLES  CARLETON  COFFIN.  Four  Volumes.  Illustrated. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00  each. 

THE  STORY  OF  LIBERTY.  — OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES.— 
THE  BOYS  OF  '76  (A  History  of  the  Battles  of  the  Revolution).— 
BUILDING  THE  NATION. 

"HARPER'S  YOUNG  PEOPLE"  SERIES.  Illustrated.  16mo, 
Cloth,  $1  00  per  volume. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  JIMMY  BROWN.  Written  by  Himself  and 
Edited  by  W.  L.  ALDEN. 

THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  CANOE  CLUB.     By  W.  L.  ALDEN. 

THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  "  GHOST."     By  W.  L.  ALDEN. 

THE  MORAL  PIRATES.     By  W.  L.  ALDEN. 

TOBY  TYLER ;  OR,  TEN  WEEKS  WITH  A  CIRCUS.     By  JAMES  OTIS. 

MR.  STUBBS'S  BROTHER.     A  Sequel  to  "Toby  Tyler."     By  JAMKS  OTIS. 

TIM  AND  TIP;  OR,  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  BOY  AND  A  DOG. 
By  JAMES  OTIS. 

LEFT  BEHIND;  OR,  TEN  DAYS  A  NEWSBOY.     By  JAMES  OTIS. 

RAISING  THE  "  PEARL."     By  JAMES  OTIS. 

SILENT  PETE.     By  JAMES  OTIS. 

THE  STORY  OF  MUSIC  AND  MUSICIANS.     By  LUCY  C.  LILLIE. 

JO'S  OPPORTUNITY.     By  LUCY  C.  LILLIE. 

ROLF  HOUSE.     By  LUCY  C.  LILLIE. 

MILDRED'S  BARGAIN,  AND  OTHER  STORIES.     By  LUCY  C.  LILLIE. 

NAN.     By  LCCY  C.  LILLIE. 

THE  FOUR  MACNICOLS.     By  WILLIAM  BLACK. 

THE  LOST  CITY;  OR,  THE  BOY  EXPLORERS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA. 
By  DAVID  KER. 

INTO  UNKNOWN  SEAS.     By  DAVID  KER. 

THE  TALKING  LEAVES.     An  Indian  Story.     By  W.  0.  STODDARD. 

TWO  ARROWS.     A  Story  of  Red  and  White.     By  W.  0.  STODDARD. 

WHO  WAS  PAUL  GRAYSON  ?  By  JOHN  HABBERTON,  Author  of  "  Hel- 
en's Babies." 

PRINCE  LAZYBONES,  AND  OTHER  STORIES.     By  Mrs.  W.  J.  HAYS. 

THE  ICE   QUEEN.     By  ERNEST  INGKRSOLL. 

WAKULLA:   A  STORY   OF   ADVENTURE   IN  FLORIDA.     By  C.  K. 

MUNROE. 

STRANGE  STORIES  FROM  HISTORY.     By  GEORGE  CARY  EGGLESTON. 


Interesting  Books  for  Boys. 


FRIENDS  WORTH  KNOWING.  Glimpses  of  American  Natural 
History.  By  ERNEST  INGERSOLL.  Illustrated.  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

COUNTRY  COUSINS.  By  ERNEST  INGERSOLL.  Illustrated,  pp. 
252.  8vo,  Handsome  Cloth  Cover,  $2  50. 

CAMP  LIFE  IN  THE  WOODS ;  AND  THE  TRICKS  OF  TRAP- 
PING AND  TRAP  MAKING.  By  W.  HAMILTON  GIBSON,  Author 
of  "Pastoral  Days."  Illustrated  by  the  Author.  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

MARY  AND  MARTHA.  The  Mother  and  the  Wife  of  George  Wash- 
ington. By  BENSON  J.  LOSSING,  LL.D.,  Author  of  "Field-book  of 
the  Revolution,"  "Field book  of  the  War  of  1812,"  " Cyclopaedia  of 
United  States  History,"  &c.  Illustrated  by  Fac-similes  of  Pen-and- 
ink  Drawings  by  H.  Rosa.  pp.  xxii.,  348.  8vo,  Ornamental  Cloth, 
$2  50. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  NAVY  FOR  BOYS. 
By  BENSON  J.  LOSSING,  LL.D.  Illustrated.  12mo,  Half  Leather, 
$1  75. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  YOUNG  NATURALIST.  By  LUCIEN 
BIART.  With  117  Illustrations.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

AN  INVOLUNTARY  VOYAGE.  By  LUCIEN  BIART.  Illustrated. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  25. 

ROUND  THE  WORLD  ;  including  a  Residence  in  Victoria,  and  a  Jour- 
ney by  Rail  across  North  America.  By  a  Boy.  Edited  by  SAMUEL 
SMILES.  Illustrated.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

THE  SELF-HELP  SERIES.  By  SAMUEL  SMILES.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  00 
per  volume. 

SELF-HELP.— CHARACTER.— THRIFT.— DUTY. 

STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY.    By  PAUL  B.  Du  CHAIL- 

LU.     Illustrated.     12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS.     By  PAUL  B.  Du  CHAILLU. 

Illustrated.     12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR.    By  PAUL  B.  Du  CHAILLU. 

Illustrated.     12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

MY  APINGI  KINGDOM:  with  Life  in  the  Great  Sahara,  and  Sketches 
of  the  Chase  of  the  Ostrich,  Hyena,  &c.  By  PAUL  B.  Du  CHAILLU. 
Illustrated.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE.  By  PAUL  B.  Du  CHAILLU.  Illustrated. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 


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POLITICS  FOR  YOUNG  AMERICANS.  By  CHARLES  NORDHOFF. 
12mo,  Half  Leather,  75  cents. 

THE  CHILDREN  OF  OLD  PARK'S  TAVERN.  A  Story  of  the 
South  Shore.  By  FRANCES  A.  HUMPHREY.  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

THE  BOYHOOD  OF  GREAT  MEN.  By  JOHN  G.  EDGAR.  Illus- 
trated. 16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

THE  FOOTPRINTS  OF  FAMOUS  MEN.  By  JOHN  G.  EDGAR.  Il- 
lustrated. 16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

HISTORY  FOR  BOYS  ;  or,  Annals  of  the  Nations  of  Modern  Europe. 
By  JOHN  G.  EDGAR.  Illustrated.  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

SEA-KINGS  AND  NAVAL  HEROES.  A  Book  for  Boys.  By  JOHN 
G.  EDGAR.  Illustrated.  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

THE  WARS  OF  THE  ROSES.  By  JOHN  G.  EDGAR.  Illustrated. 
16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

UPLAND  AND  MEADOW.  A  Poaetquissings  Chronicle.  By  CHARLES 
C.  ABBOTT,  M.D.  pp.  x.,  398.  12mo,  Ornamental  Cloth,  $1  50. 

STORIES  OF  THE  ISLAND  WORLD.  By  CHARLES  NORDHOFF. 
Illustrated.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

THE  THOUSAND  AND  ONE  NIGHTS;  or,  The  Arabian  Nights' 
Entertainments.  Translated  and  Arranged  for  Family  Reading,  with 
Explanatory  Notes,  by  E.  W.  LANE.  600  Illustrations  by  Harvey. 
2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

HENRY  MAYHEW'S  WORKS.     4  vols.,  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  25  per  vol. 

THE  BOYHOOD  OF  MARTIN  LUTHER.  — THE  STORY  OF  THE 
PEASANT-BOY  PHILOSOPHER.— YOUNG  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.— 
THE  WONDERS  OF  SCIENCE. 

SCIENCE  FOR  THE  YOUNG.  By  JACOB  ABBOTT.  Illustrated. 
4  vols. :  Heat. — Light. — Water  and  Land. — Force.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50 
each. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  SANDFORD  AND  MERTON.  By  THOMAS 
DAY.  18mo,  Half  Bound,  75  cents. 

YOUTH'S  HEALTH-BOOK.    32mo,  Paper,  25  cents;  Cloth,  40  cents. 

STORIES  OF  THE  OLD  DOMINION.  From  the  Settlement  to  the 
End  of  the  Revolution.  By  JOHN  ESTEN  COOKE.  Illustrated.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $1  50. 

THE  LIFE  AND  SURPRISING  ADVENTURES  OF  ROBINSON 
CRUSOE,  of  York,  Mariner ;  with  a  Biographical  Account  of  DE- 
FOE. Illustrated  by  Adams.  Complete  Edition.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 


Interesting  Books  for  Boys. 


OUR  CHILDREN'S   SONGS.     Illustrated.     8vo,  Ornamental  Cover, 

$1  00. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  A  MOUTHFUL  OF  BREAD,  and  its  Effect  on 
the  Organization  of  Men  and  Animals.  By  JEAN  MACE.  Trans- 
lated from  the  Eighth  French  Edition  by  Mrs.  ALFRED  GATTY. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

THE  SERVANTS  OF  THE  STOMACH.  By  JEAN  MACE.  Reprint- 
ed from  the  London  Edition,  Revised  and  Corrected.  12ino,  Cloth, 


FRED  MARKHAM  IN  RUSSIA ;  or,  The  Boy  Travellers  in  the  Land 
of  the  Czar.  By  W.  H.  G.  KINGSTON.  Illustrated.  Small  4to,  Cloth, 
75  cents. 

SELF-MADE  MEN.  By  CHARLES  C.  B.  SEYMOUR.  Many  Portraits. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

THE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON  ;  or,  Adventures  of  a  Father  and 
Mother  and  Four  Sons  on  a  Desert  Island.  Illustrated.  2  vols., 
18mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

THE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON-Continued:  being  a  Sequel  to 
the  Foregoing.  2  vols.,  18mo,  Clofh,  $1  50. 

DOGS  AND  THEIR  DOINGS.  By  Rev.  F.  O.  MORRIS,  B.A.  Illus- 
trated. Square  8vo,  Cloth,  Gilt  Sides,  $1  75. 

TALES  FROM  THE  ODYSSEY  FOR  BOYS  AND  GIRLS.  By 
C.  M.  B.  32mo,  Paper,  25  cents;  Cloth,  40  cents. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  REUBEN  DAVIDGER ;  Seventeen  Years 
and  Four  Months  Captive  among  the  Dyaks  of  Borneo.  By  J. 
GREENWOOD.  8vo,  Cloth,  Illustrated,  $1  25;  4to,  Paper,  15  cents. 

WILD  SPORTS  OF  THE  WORLD.  A  Book  of  Natural  History  and 
Adventure.  By  J.  GREENWOOD.  Illustrated.  Crown  8vo,  Cloth, 

f  2  50. 

CAST  UP  BY  THE  SEA;  or,  The  Adventures  of  Ned  Grey.  By  Sir 
SAMUEL  W.  BAKER,  M.  A..  F.R.S.,  F.R.G.S.  12mo,  Cloth,  Illustrated, 
$1  25;  4to,  Paper,  15  cents. 

HOMES  WITHOUT  HANDS:  Being  a  Description  of  the  Habitations 
of  Animals,  classed  according  to  their  Principle  of  Construction. 
By  the  Rev.  J.  G.Wooo,  M.A.,  F.L.S.  With  about  140  Illustrations 
engraved  on  Wood  by  G.  Pearson,  from  Original  Designs  made  by 
F.  W.  Keyl  and  E.  A.  Smith,  under  the  Author's  Superintendence. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $4  50;  Sheep,  $5  00;  Roan.  $5  00;  Half  Calf,  $6  75. 


Interesting  Books  for  Boys. 


THE  ILLUSTRATED  NATURAL  HISTORY.  By  the  Rev.  J.  G. 
WOOD,  M.A.,F.L.S.  With  450  Engravings.  12rno,  Cloth,  $1  05. 

CHAPTERS  ON  PLANT  LIFE.  By  Mrs.  S.  B.  HERRICK.  Illustrated. 
Square  16mo,  Cloth,  60  cents. 

FLY-RODS  AND  FLY-TACKLE.  Suggestions  as  to  their  Manufact- 
ure and  Use.  By  HENRY  P.  WELLS.  Illustrated.  Post  8vo,  Il- 
luminated Cloth,  $2  50. 

NEW  GAMES  FOR  PARLOR  AND  LAWN.  New  Games  for  Par- 
lor and  Lawn,  with  a  few  Old  Friends  in  a  New  Dress.  By  GEORGE 
B.  BARTLETT.  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

INDIAN  HISTORY  FOR  YOUNG  FOLKS.  By  FRANCIS  S.  DRAKE. 
With  Colored  Frontispiece,  Numerous  Illustrations,  and  a  Map  of  the 
United  States,  showing  the  Locations  and  Relative  Sizes  of  the  Ind- 
ian Reservations.  Square  8vo,  Ornamental  Cloth,  $3  00. 

THE  BOY'S  BOOK  OF  BATTLE  LYRICS.  By  THOMAS  DUNN 
ENGLISH,  LL.D.  Illustrated.  Square  8vo,  Illuminated  Cloth,  $2  00. 

PEPPER  AND  SALT ;  or,  Seasoning  for  Young  Folk.  Prepared  by 
HOWARD  PYLE.  Beautifully  and  Profusely  Illustrated  by  the  Au- 
thor. 4to,  Illuminated  Cloth,  $2  00. 

GAMES  AND  SONGS  OF  AMERICAN  CHILDREN.  Collected 
and  Compared  by  WILLIAM  WELLS  NEWELL.  8vo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

HOME  STUDIES  IN  NATURE.  By  MARY  TREAT,  Author  of  "Chap- 
ters on  Ants,"&c.  Illustrated,  pp.244.  12mo,  Ornamental  Cloth, 
90  cents. 

THE  LIFE  AND  HABITS  OF  WILD  ANIMALS.  Illustrated  from 
Designs  by  JOSEPH  WOLF.  Engraved  by  J.  W.  and  EDWARD  WHYM- 
PER.  With  Descriptive  Letterpress  by  DANIEL  GIRAUD  ELIOT, 
F.L.S.,  F.Z.S.  4to,  Cloth,  Gilt  Edges,  $5  00. 

BUNYAN'S  PILGRIM'S  PROGRESS.  The  Pilgrim's  Progress.  By 
JOHN  BUNYAN.  With  a  Life  of  the  Author,  by  ROBERT  SOUTHEY, 
LL.D.  Illustrated.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  00;  Gilt  Edges,  $1  50. 

TOM  BROWN'S  SCHOOL  DAYS.  By  an  Old  Boy.  Illustrated  by 
ARTHUR  HUGHES  and  SYDNEY  P.  HALL.  8vo,  Paper,  40  cents. 

TOM  BROWN   AT   OXFORD.     By   the  Author  of  "Tom  Brown's 
School  Days."    With  Illustrations  by  SYDNEY  P.  HALL.     8vo,  Paper, 
60  cents. 
School  Days  and  Oxford — in  one  volume.    8vo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 


Interesting  Books  for  Boys. 


CAPTAIN  MARRY AT'S  WORKS  : 

THE  CHILDREN  OF  THE  NEW  FOREST.     12mo,  Cloth,  $1  25. 

THE   LITTLE   SAVAGE.     The  History  of  a  Boy  Left  Alone  upon   an 
Uninhabited  Island.     12mo,  Clotli,  $1  25. 

THE  PIRATE,  AND  THE  THREE  CUTTERS.     4to,  Paper,  15  cents. 

DAVIS'S  NIMROD  OF  THE  SEA.  Nirnrod  of  the  Sea ;  or,  The 
American  Whaleman.  By  WILLIAM  M.  DAVIS.  With  many  Illus- 
trations. 12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

ABBOTT'S  HISTORIES.  Illustrated  with  numerous  Engravings. 
16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00  per  volume.  The  volumes  may  be  obtained  sep- 
arately ;  or  the  set  complete,  in  six  boxes,  $32. 

Cyrus  the  Great.  —  Darius  the  Great. — Xerxes. — Alexander  the 
Great.  — Romulus. — Hannibal. — Pyrrhus. — Julius  Caesar. — Cleopa- 
tra.— Nero. — Alfred  the  Great.— William  the  Conqueror. — Richard 
I. — Richard  II. — Richard  III. — Mary  Queen  of  Scots.— Queen  Eliz- 
abeth.— Charles  I — Charles  II. — Josephine. — Maria  Antoinette. — 
Madame  Roland.  —  Henry  IV. —  Margaret  of  Anjou.  —  Peter  the 
Great.— Genghis  Khan. — King  Philip. — Hernando  Cortez. — Joseph 
Bonaparte. — Queen  Hortense. — Louis  XIV. — Louis  Philippe. 

ABBOTT'S  FRANCONIA  STORIES.  Numerous  Illustrations.  Com- 
plete in  10  volumes,  16mo,  Cloth,  75  cents  each.  The  volumes  may 
be  obtained  separately ;  or  the  set  complete,  in  neat  case,  $7  50 

Malleville.  —  Mary  Bell. —  Ellen  Linn.  —  Wallace.— Beechnut. — 
Stuyvesant. — Agnes. — Mary  Erskine. — Rodolphus. — Caroline. 

ABBOTT'S  MARCO  PAUL  STORIES.  Marco  Paul's  Voyages  and 
Travels  in  the  Pursuit  of  Knowledge.  By  JACOB  ABBOTT.  Illustrat- 
ed. Complete  in  6  volumes,  16mo,  Cloth,  75  cents  each.  The  vol- 
umes may  be  obtained  separately ;  or  the  set  complete,  in  neat  case, 
$450. 

In  New  York. — On  the  Erie  Canal. — In  the  Forests  of  Maine. — 
In  Vermont. — In  Boston. — At  the  Springfield  Armory. 

ABBOTT'S  STORIES  OF  RAINBOW  AND  LUCKY.  Illustrated. 
5  volumes,  16mo,  Cloth,  75  cents  per  volume.  The  volumes  may  be 
obtained  separately ;  or  the  set  complete,  in  neat  case,  $3  75. 

Handie.— Rainbow's  Journey. — Selling  Lucky. — Up  the  River. — 
The  Three  Pines. 

HOW  TO  GET  STRONG,  AND  HOW  TO  STAY  SO.  By  WILL- 
IAM BLAIKIE.  With  Illustrations.  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

SOUND  BODIES   FOR   OUR  BOYS  AND   GIRLS.    By  WILLIAM 

BLAIKIE.     With  Illustrations,    pp.  x.,  168.     16mo,  Cloth,  40  cents. 


Interesting  Books  for  Boys. 


THE  FAIRY  BOOKS: 

LABOULAYE'S  LAST  FAIRY  TALES.  Last  Fairy  Tales.  By 
EDOUARD  LABOULAYE.  Authorized  Translation  by  MARY  L.  BOOTH. 
With  over  250  Illustrations.  12mo,  Extra  Cloth,  $2  00 ;  Gilt  Edges, 
$250. 

FAIRY  TALES  OF  ALL  NATIONS.  By  EDOUARD  LABOULAYE, 
Member  of  the  Institute  of  France.  Translated  by  MARY  L.  BOOTH. 
Illustrated.  12mo,  Cloth,  Bevelled  Edges,  $2  00. 

PUSS  -  CAT  MEW,  and  other  New  Fairy  Stories  for  my  Children.  By 
E.  H.  KNATCHBULL  -  HUGESSEN,  M.P.  Illustrated.  12mo,  Cloth, 
$1  25. 

FAIRY  BOOK.  The  Best  Popular  Fairy  Stories  selected  and  rendered 
anew.  By  the  Author  of  "John  Halifax,  Gentleman."  Illustrated. 
12mo,  Cloth,  90  cents. 

MACE'S  FAIRY  TALES.  (Contes  du  Petit  Chateau.)  Fairy  Tales. 
By  JEAN  MACE,  Editor  of  the  Mngaxin  d'  Education.  Translated  by 
MARY  L.  BOOTH.  Illustrated.  12mo,  Cloth,  Bevelled  Edges,  $1  75. 

THE  LITTLE  LAME  PRINCE.  By  the  Author  of  "John  Halifax, 
Gentleman."  Illustrated.  Square  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

FOLKS  AND  FAIRIES.  Stories  for  Little  Children.  By  LUCY  RAN- 
DALL COMFORT.  Illustrated.  Square  4to,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  BROWNIE,  as  Told  to  my  Child.  By 
the  Author  of  "John  Halifax,  Gentleman."  Illustrated.  Square 
16mo,  Cloth,  90  cents. 

THE  CATSKILL  FAIRIES.  By  VIRGINIA  W.  JOHNSON.  Illustrated 
by  ALFRED  FREDERICKS.  8vo,  Illuminated  Cloth,  Gilt  Edges, 
$300. 

MR.  WIND  AND  MADAME  RAIN.  By  PAUL  DE  MUSSET.  Trans- 
lated by  EMILY  MAKEPEACE.  Illustrated.  Square  4to,  Cloth,  75 
cents. 

THE  PRINCESS  IDLEWAYS.  By  Mrs.  W.  J.  HAYS.  Illustrated. 
16mo,  Cloth,  75  cents. 


PUBLISHED  BY  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK. 

S&~  HABPBB  &  BROTHERS  will  send  any  of  the  foregoing  works  by  mail,  postage  prepaid, 
to  any  part  of  the  United  States  or  Canada,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


CENTRAL  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

University  of  California,  San  Diego 

DATE  DUE 


APR 


1986 


a  39 


UCSD 


